TRANSPORT

Air Emergency

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport after the emergency landing at Heathrow on 24 April 2004 by Boeing 747-132, registration N481 EV, whether the aircraft was boarded by any official from a UK agency; and whether the cargo was inspected.

Gillian Merron: The Boeing 747-132, call sign Evergreen, was diverted to Heathrow after encountering engine trouble on 24 April 2004. Only the police, immigration and customs officials have powers to board aircraft in situations such as this.
	I am advised by my colleagues at the Home Office and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs that neither immigration service nor customs officials boarded the Evergreen aircraft or inspected its cargo.
	I understand that police at London Heathrow are searching their records to determine whether this aircraft was boarded by uniformed officers, but that this process can take some time. The Home Secretary has undertaken to write to the hon. Gentleman with the relevant information once these investigations have been completed.

Air Freight

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many air freight flights were recorded  (a) to and  (b) from (i) Heathrow, (ii) Gatwick and (iii) Stansted airports in each of the last five years; and what freight tonnage this represented in each case.

Gillian Merron: The number of cargo flights and freight tonnage recorded to and from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted for last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  Cargo Flights 
			  Number 
			   Arrival  Departure 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Heathrow 1,579 1,552 1,499 1,635 1,364 1,612 1,620 1,577 1,702 1,451 
			 Gatwick 1,025 1,167 1,518 1,200 1,031 1,038 1,180 1,580 1,486 1,329 
			 Stansted 5,782 5,040 4,953 5,301 5,570 6,102 5,522 5,356 5,746 5,687 
		
	
	
		
			  Cargo 
			  Tonnes 
			   Set down  Picked up 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Heathrow 50,302 61,446 54,188 58,351 42,474 54,679 55,306 48,471 48,736 35,376 
			 Gatwick 12,901 15,059 19,983 18,011 21,811 23,571 27,027 30,827 34,783 31,968 
			 Stansted 84,869 96,671 110,755 123,648 138,638 78,810 85,232 86,382 100,742 97,060 
			  Source:  Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) airports statistics excludes charter cargo services when aircraft type below 15 tonnes maximum takeoff weight authorised (air taxi type)

Aircraft Safety

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1462W, on airports, how many of the near misses that were recorded over Northern Ireland airspace in each of the last five years related to flights into or out of  (a) Belfast International,  (b) Belfast City and  (c) Londonderry airports.

Gillian Merron: During the five years from 2001 to 2005 inclusive seven Airprox incidents involving commercial air transport aircraft in airspace over Northern Ireland were reported to the UK Airprox Board for assessment. These can be broken down as follows.
	
		
			   Breakdown by airport (with Airprox report number)  Number of Airprox incidents 
			 2001 Londonderry (058/2001) 1 
			 2002 Belfast Intl (058/2002) Londonderry (225/2005) 2 
			 2003 — 0 
			 2004 Londonderry (196/2004) 1 
			 2005 Belfast City (031/2005) Belfast City (150/2005) Belfast City (166/2005) 3 
		
	
	All seven events were reviewed and categorised by the UK Airprox Board as being Category C (where no risk of collision existed). The Airprox reference number for each incident is given in the table. Final reports on each event are available, if required, on the UK Airprox Board's website at www.airproxboard.org.uk .

Aircraft Safety

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1462W, on airports, how many near misses were recorded in mainland Great Britain airports relating to flights departing from Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: During the five years from 2001 to 2005 inclusive there were nine Airprox incidents recorded over Great Britain relating to flights departing from airports in Northern Ireland.
	These can be broken down by year as follows:
	
		
			   Airprox Board Reference (and risk category)  Number of incidents 
			 2001 065/2001 (D) 3 
			  083/2001 (B)  
			  108/2001 (C)  
			
			 2002 n/a 0 
			
			 2003 n/a 0 
			
			 2004 035/2004 (C) 3 
			  124/2004 (C)  
			  139/2004 (C)  
			
			 2005 024/2005 (C) 3 
			  036/2005 (B)  
			  194/2005 (C)  
		
	
	All nine events were reviewed by the UK Airprox Board. The Airprox reference number and risk category for each incident is given above. Of the nine incidents, two were categorised as "risk bearing" Airprox in which safety was not assured (a "risk bearing" Airprox is one that falls into category A or B). Final reports on each event are available, if required, on the UK Airprox Board's website at www.airproxboard.org.uk.

British Transport Police

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the British Transport police authority on its financial management; whether he plans changes thereto; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Ministers meet the chair of the British Transport police (BTP) authority as necessary to discuss issues affecting the BTP.
	Since its establishment on 1 July 2004, the authority has provided funds to BTP to enable it to review and update its key central support systems, policies, and processes including risk management, business continuity, procurement, human resources and payroll.
	As part of this review, BTP's finance department has been reorganised, restructured, and strengthened with the objective of improving financial management throughout BTP.

Executive Agencies

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to improve the financial management arrangements of the executive agencies that report to his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 17 May 2006
	Agency accounting officers are responsible for financial management under the terms of their agreed framework documents. The Department has taken a number of steps to co-ordinate and encourage improvement initiatives, including the establishment of a Group Finance Committee, a new shared services centre providing finance and human resources services for the whole organisation, and Group Internal Audit Assurances.

Galileo Service

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the European Union on China's involvement in the Galileo service.

Stephen Ladyman: There have been no discussions at ministerial level specifically about Chinese involvement. Officials at the Department for Transport regularly discuss the involvement of non-European Union countries, including China, in meetings with the Commission and other member states.

Heathrow

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to consult on the ending of mixed-mode landings and runway alternation at Heathrow; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: I refer to the statement made by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport my hon. Friend the Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) on 17 March 2006,  Official Report, column 117WS.

Local Government Finance

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding Staffordshire county council received from his Department  (a) in total,  (b) per mile of road and  (c) per head of population in each year since 1997-98.

Gillian Merron: The following table shows the total funding allocated to Staffordshire county council in the local transport capital settlements between 1997-98 and 2005-06 (inclusive) in terms of totals, per mile of road, and per head of population.
	
		
			  Staffordshire county council  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Total funding (£000) 15,564 5,364 6,243 10,954 15,208 15,081 22,097 19,938 30,603 
			 Funds (£000) per mile(1) 4.032 1.380 1.609 2.838 3.940 3.900 5.725 5.165 7.929 
			 Funds (£ per head) (1) 19.16 6.6 7.6 13.4 18.7 19.4 27.2 24.5 37.7 
			 (1) The population and road mileage for the year 2004 have been used in the calculations, the road mileage being 3,860 miles and the population 812,600.

Portland PR

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings officials in his Department have had with representatives of the public relations company Portland PR; what contracts Portland PR has with his Department and agencies for which he has responsibility; and what the nature of the contract is in each case.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not maintain a central list of such meetings. Civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and business delivery. All such meetings are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Code and Guidance for civil servants on contacts with lobbyists and people outside Government.
	The Department does not currently have any contracts with Portland PR.

Post-retirement Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what opportunities exist for people to work beyond retirement age in his Department.

Gillian Merron: Currently departmental staff below the Senior Civil Service may retire up to the age of 65 or at any time from the date of their 60(th) birthday.
	The Department has the discretion, in exceptional circumstances, to invite staff to continue in service beyond the date on which they would normally retire if
	this is the best way of meeting the Department's staffing needs;
	recruitment and promotion arrangements will not be adversely affected;
	they continue to meet the normal requirements of health, efficiency and conduct.
	Any approvals will be for a specified period and subject to review. If staff are allowed to continue, they must retire if it is decided to give them notice of retirement. No employee may continue in service beyond the age of 70.
	The Cabinet Office is responsible for setting the retirement age of staff in the Senior Civil Service. This is currently 60 unless the Department and the Cabinet Office allow them to stay longer.

Public Transport

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the public expenditure per head of population for public transport was in each of the English regions in each of the last 10 years calculated on the same basis as HM Treasury's public expenditure statistical analysis for all transport expenditure.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The information requested on public expenditure for public transport is not collected centrally in the form requested. Information on the Department's identifiable expenditure by region per head for years from 2000-01 is published in the Department's Annual Report 2005 (Cm 6527), Table A8; and separate figures for local public transport and railways for 2003-04 in Table A9; but these do not include payments to local authorities or local authorities' own expenditure. Information on total transport identifiable expenditure per head, which includes local authority expenditure, is given in Table 8.11 of PESA 2005 for years from 1999-2000. Figures for earlier years are given in earlier PESA publications and DfT Annual Reports, although these are not strictly comparable due to changes in data coverage and classification changes.

Rail Franchises

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will list the train franchise contracts that have  (a) protection,  (b) partial protection and  (c) no protection against loss of revenue from new open access operators over the course of the franchise; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential impact on their lines of the shortfall in premium payments to the Exchequer from train operating companies subject to open access operators; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: No train operator is explicitly provided with a guarantee or indemnity against loss of revenue arising from new open access operators.
	The SRA did give certain protection to theTransPennine Express franchisee in 2003 in the event that SRA changed its policy of opposing an open access application which was under discussion at that time.
	When proposals for new open access services are submitted to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), the Department for Transport will routinely make an assessment of the financial impact that those services will have on the railway as a whole. These assessments are used to inform the Government response to any consultation that the ORR undertakes in relation to the proposals.

Railways

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the Government have altered their growth target for heavy rail; what implications the alteration has for future rail expansion and improvement plans; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Government set out their strategy for the railway in the Future of Rail White Paper published in July 2004. This new strategy is designed to control costs, improve reliability and deliver sufficient capacity to meet forecast demand.

Railways

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether  (a) he and  (b) his officials discussed with Central Trains the cancellation of train services in the West Midlands on 18 December 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: As part of the franchise management, regular discussions take place between Department for Transport officials and Central Trains, which has included the cancellation of train services in the West Midlands on 18 December 2005.

Rescue Helicopters

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions search and rescue helicopters based at Sumburgh and Stornoway have been used for air ambulance evacuations in each of the last five years; and what charges have been made to the Scottish ambulance service for the service.

Stephen Ladyman: The following tables show for each of the last five financial years the number of occasions, the total hours and total amount invoiced when the air ambulance has been used. The amounts shown are where the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has invoiced the Scottish ambulance service.
	
		
			  Sumburgh 
			  Financial year  Number of flight  Total hours  Total cost (£) 
			 2005-06 6 11.15 20,491.88 
			 2004-05 3 7.55 9,890.00 
			 2003-04 4 7.05 12,246.40 
			 2002-03 1 .55 1,565.20 
			 2001-02 3 11.10 19,178.00 
			 Total 17 38.20 63,371.48 
		
	
	
		
			  Stornoway 
			  Financial year  Number of flight  Total hours  Total cost (£) 
			 2005-06 10 35.20 66,539.20 
			 2004-05 7 25.05 35,139.00 
			 2003-04 3 14.25 24,750.80 
			 2002-03 4 10.00 17,187.96 
			 2001-02 9 23.15 39,975.72 
			 Total 33 108.05 183,592.68

Road Safety

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents in 2005 resulted in the death of children of school age.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on personal injury road accidents reported to the police in 2005 is not available until first release on 29 June.
	In 2004 (the latest year in which figures are available), there were 186 personal injury road accidents in Great Britain reported to the police involving death of one or more children aged five to 16.

TREASURY

Capital Gains Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask The Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate  (a) the revenue implications and  (b) the additional number of people who would pay tax if the capital gains tax threshold were reduced to (i) £1,000, (ii) £2,500 and (iii) £5,000; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The total estimated yield on an accruals basis from abolishing Capital Gains Tax Annual Exempt Amount (AEA) for individuals and trusts in 2005-06 is published in Table A3.1 in the Budget Report 2006. This excludes any behavioural response to the tax change.
	Estimate of the total yield on an accruals basis, and additional number of resultant taxpayers, from reducing the Capital Gains Tax AEA for individuals to (i) £1,000, (ii) £2,500 and (iii) £5,000 in 2006-07 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimate of the total yield on an accruals basis, and additional number of resultant taxpayers, from reducing the Capital Gains Tax AEA for individuals in 2006-07 
			   AEA = £1,000  AEA = £2,500  AEA = £5,000 
			 Additional Revenue (Accruals £ million) 800 500 200 
			 Additional Taxpayers (Thousand) 1,450 600 300 
		
	
	The figures are consistent with the assumptions made in Budget 2006 on future asset prices, and take into account the likely taxpayer behavioural responses to the tax change. The Annual Exempt Amount for Trusts is assumed to be half that of individuals.

EU (UK Contributions)

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury's statement in the debate on future EU finances and own reserves on 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 135W, if he will list the net UK contribution from all sources to the EU for each year of the current financial perspective and the projected contribution for each year of the next financial perspective.

Edward Balls: I refer the hon. Member to footnote 3 of the amended table C11 (Total managed expenditure 2004-05 to 2007-08) in the 2006 Financial Statement and Budget Report for net contributions to the EU Budget 2004-05 (outturn), 2005-06 and 2006-07 (estimated projections).
	For estimated net contributions to the EU budget over the next financial perspective I refer the hon. Member to the reply to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 31 January 2006,  Official Report, column 399W.

EU Accession Countries (Immigration)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the effect on public expenditure in the West Midlands region of immigration from EU accession countries since May 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 12 May 2006,  Official Report, column 619W.
	The West Midlands region has received 6.8 per cent. of the total number of applications for income-related benefits made by nationals from the accession countries between May 2004 and December 2005.

Income Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask The Chancellor of the Exchequer what the revenue implications would be of  (a) a 1p cut and  (b) a 1p rise in the lower rate on (i) savings income and (ii) (A) the basic rate and (B) the higher rate of income tax for each year from 2006-07 to 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The latest information on expected yields from changing the lower rate on savings income, the basic rate and higher rates of income tax by 1p is available in Table 1.6 "Direct effects of illustrative tax changes" which is available on HM Revenue and Customs website;
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/1_6_apr06.xls
	The information is for the years 2006-07 to 2008-09. Similar information for 2009-10 and 2010-11 is not available.

Inheritance Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask The Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue implications of raising the inheritance tax threshold in line with house price inflation for each year to 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Raising the inheritance tax according to house price inflation assumptions, starting in 2007-08, would have the following effect on forecast revenue:
	
		
			  Effect of raising the inheritance tax according to house price inflation assumptions on forecast revenue 
			   Impact on forecast revenue (£ million) 
			 2007-08 +5 
			 2008-09 — 
			 2009-10 -25 
			 2010-11 -75 
		
	
	The house price inflation figures were obtained by assuming a constant house price to earnings ratio together with earnings growth consistent with the Treasury assumptions for trend growth.
	In Budget 2006 the Chancellor announced that the inheritance tax threshold will continue to increase above expected statutory indexation for all years up to 2009-10, when it will reach £325,000.

Inheritance Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue implications for each year to 2010-11 of raising the inheritance tax threshold to £500,000; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Raising the inheritance tax threshold to £500,000 with effect from 2007-08 would have the following effect on forecast revenue.
	
		
			   Reduction in revenue (£ billion) 
			 2007-08 0.7 
			 2008-09 1.6 
			 2009-10 1.7 
			 2010-11 1.8

Tax Credits

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much financial assistance was provided by HM Revenue and Customs to voluntary organisations in the West Midlands region to assist the public on tax credit issues in each year in which such assistance has been provided.

Dawn Primarolo: Most financial support provided by HMRC has been targeted at national organisations. Although no funds have been specifically provided to voluntary organisations in the West Midlands, national campaigns have included support for the West Midlands.

Tax Credits

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will resolve the tax credit case of Mrs. Charlotte Rosetti of Brixham following communication with his Department between 15 March 2004 and 30 March 2006; what the reasons are for the continued delay in resolving the case; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC replied to the hon. Gentleman's most recent letter on 16 May.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council House Sales

Andrew Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the likely total income in capital receipts from the sale of council housing under the right-to-buy scheme in 2005-06.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on15 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 815-18W tomy hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby(Mr. Mitchell).

Coventry (Local Government)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funds were distributed to Coventry to increase efficiency in local government in each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 17 May 2006
	Funding to support efficiency in local authorities is distributed to nine Regional Centres of Excellence (RCEs). Each RCE has its own local governance arrangements for supporting authorities across the region.
	Funding for individual projects, many of which operate across local authority boundaries, is decided by the RCE Board. Since 2004-05, funding made available to the West Midlands RCE in relation to taking forward the Efficiency Agenda is as follows:
	
		
			   Grant payable (£ million)  2005-06 
			  Receiving authority  2004-05  2005-06  Additional core funding (£)  Work stream specific efficiency support (£) 
			 West Midlands Regional Centre of Excellence 1.18 1.58 50,000 180,000 
		
	
	For 2005-06, the West Midlands Improvement Partnership was awarded a Capacity Building grant of £5.95 million from which Coventry will be able to access support. Capacity building funds are granted to support local authorities in their improvement activities and performance. The West Midlands RCE has joined the West Midlands Improvement Partnership to form the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership. Local authorities in the region can access both RCE and CBF funds through the partnership.

Departmental Responsibilities

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the responsibilities of her Department are.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government has responsibility for local government, housing and planning, social exclusion, neighbourhood renewal, communities, race, faith and equalities.

Fire Service

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the regionalisation of the fire service; and what the timetable is for the process.

Angela Smith: We have no plans to regionalise the Fire and Rescue Service. As set out in the National Framework for the Fire and Rescue Service we believe in a regional approach where fire and rescue authorities work collaboratively in a way that will deliver the best possible service to the public. This approach is based on the National Framework for the Fire and Rescue Service which requires fire and rescue authorities to collaborate in six key areas of work through the regional management boards. Outside London, the regional management boards (RMBs) are responsible for delivering improvements in procurement, training, human resources, specialist services, regional control centres and resilience, through regional collaboration. Individual fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) in each region continue to be accountable for the day-to-day operation of their local fire and rescue service in line with their Integrated Risk Management Plan; and are accountable to their local electorates.

Social Housing

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of people on the register for social housing in England in each year from 1979-80 to 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the number of people on housing waiting lists in England is not collected centrally. The number of households on councils' housing waiting lists in England has been collected centrally only from 1986 onwards. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 991-92W to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones).
	There are wide variations in how often local authorities update their waiting lists, including how quickly they remove people from the list who no longer want social housing.
	Local authority waiting lists are only a broad indicator of housing need and not everyone on the list will necessarily be in urgent housing need.

Sports Trusts

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that sports trusts operating services and facilities on behalf of local authorities are subject to the same rules in respect of public access to information as local authority leisure services departments.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	We have no plans to extend the provisions relating to public access to local authority information to information held by non-local authority bodies.
	Where services are operated on behalf of local authorities, information relating to the body operating those services may be open to inspection and inquiry by those authorities' overview and scrutiny committees, to whose meetings and documents public access is provided for under the Local Government Act 1972. In addition, many sports trusts have charitable status and will be subject to legislation relevant to charities, which includes provision for examination of accounts.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Atomic Energy Authority

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial value is used by the Atomic Energy Authority for a human life lost or saved in cost-benefit analysis of a proposed subject; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 15 May 2006
	UKAEA bases any cost benefit analysis on guidelines issued by the Health and Safety Executive (and its Nuclear Installations Inspectorate). These use a similar baseline figure to that recommended in the Treasury Green Book for the 'Value of a Prevented Fatality or Prevented Injury', of around £1.2 million. However, UKAEA also applies the ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) principle in setting dose levels for its employees. ALARP introduces a further factor of safety, and subject to the circumstances, this financial limit may be increased by a factor of between two to 10 if the proposed solution is judged by safety authorities to be reasonably practicable.

Carbon Dioxide

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the amount of carbon dioxide created from  (a) the mining of uranium,  (b) ore milling,  (c) uranium hexafluoride conversion,  (d) fuel enrichment,  (e) the making of fuel rods and  (f) the treatment, transportation and deposition of nuclear waste.

Malcolm Wicks: In the context of the Energy Review, the DTI is considering a range of assessments covering the life cycle carbon emissions of generating electricity from nuclear power plants, including the recent analysis by the Sustainable Development Commission—"The role of nuclear power in a low carbon economy". We are aware of various external studies in this area, of which we are taking account.

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support his Department is giving to the European Commission and the EU Space Agency Respond Programme within the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security Initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has the policy lead in this area.
	The DTI has taken a close interest in the RESPOND project within the European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Watch programme, Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Service Element (GSE) and contributed 12mEuro in 2002 towards this element of the GMES programme. We will closely monitor the progress of RESPOND as the project develops.

Miners' Pensions

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding was transferred from the Guarantee's Fund into the miners' pension schemes and British Coal Special Superannuation Scheme in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05 and  (c) 2005-06.

Malcolm Wicks: Following completion of the September 2002 actuarial valuation of the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme (MPS) £355 million was transferred from the Scheme's Investment Reserve within the scheme's funds to make good a deficit in the Guaranteed Fund, from which members' guaranteed pensions are paid. Similarly, following completion of the March 2003 actuarial valuation of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) £220 million was transferred from the Investment Reserve to the Guaranteed Fund within that scheme. There have been no other such transfers since.

National Concessionary Fuel Scheme

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if he will consider linking cash in lieu arrangements under the National Concessionary Fuel Arrangements directly to the price of electricity and gas;
	(2)  whether he plans to review the arrangements for paying cash in lieu to former miners under the National Concessionary Fuel Arrangements to take account of recent increases in fuel costs.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answers 15 May 2006
	There is a long standing agreement within the National Concessionary Fuel Scheme whereby former miners (and their widows) who receive cash in lieu of concessionary fuel will have their benefit increased every October in line with any increase in the Heating and Lighting element of the retail prices index for the 12 month period ending in the July of that year.

National Concessionary Fuel Scheme

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he plans to meet officials of the National Union of Mineworkers to discuss his proposed changes to the concessionary fuel entitlement received by recipients under the present scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: I have recently written to the General Secretary of the Union agreeing to meet to discuss concessionary fuel issues.

Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 54W, on the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation Fund, if he will summarise the legal argument which led him to agree with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in October 2004, that funds in the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation Fund were hereditary revenues of the Crown.

Malcolm Wicks: Legal advice from the Treasury is that the funds representing the element of the NFFO surplus referred to in my answer of 8 May are hereditary revenues and so are required by law to be paid into the Consolidated Fund. As indicated in my answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 54W, the legal advice in question is confidential and subject to legal professional privilege. It would therefore not be appropriate to provide details of the legal advice.

Pipe Organs

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  when his Department first became aware of the possible implications that the proposed EU Directives on Restriction of Hazardous Substances and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment might have for organ building in the United Kingdom;
	(2)  when his Department first received representations on the concerns of organ builders about the implementation of the proposed EU Directives on Restriction of Hazardous Substances and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment;
	(3)  what discussions with representatives of organ builders in the United Kingdom his Department initiated on the implications of the proposed EU Directives on Restriction of Hazardous Substances and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment for organ building in the United Kingdom; and when the first discussions took place;
	(4)  what discussions he has had with his  (a) Danish and  (b) German counterparts on the implications of the proposed EU Directives on Restriction of Hazardous Substances and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment for organ builders;
	(5)  on what date his Department first raised with the European Commission concerns of United Kingdom organ builders regarding the proposed EU Directives on Restriction of Hazardous Substances and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has been working with the pipe organ industry for some time and will continue to do so in order to secure a favourable outcome on this issue.
	The UK Government do not consider that pipe organs fall within the scope of this Directive, a view widely accepted across Europe. The DTI is working closely with the European Commission and other EU member states to obtain agreement at a European level. Our aim is to reach a successful conclusion before the Directive comes into force on the 1 July.

Pipe Organs

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of the correspondence between his Department and  (a) the European Commission and  (b) representatives of organ builders on the effects on organ building in the United Kingdom of the proposed EU Directives on Restriction of Hazardous Substances and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

Malcolm Wicks: Yes. As requested, I have made arrangement to place copies of the relevant correspondence since the Institute of British Organ Building's campaign on this issue was initiated.

Joint Energy Security of Supply

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  when he expects the sixth report of the energy security of supply working Group to be published; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he expects the energy security of supply working group to continue to report on a twice yearly basis;

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 3 May 2006
	The sixth report of the Joint Energy Security of Supply (JESS) working group was published on Tuesday 16 May.
	As of last year the Secretary of State's report to Parliament on security of gas and electricity supply as provided for under section 172 of the Energy Act 2003 replaced one of the two bi-annual JESS reports. The Department will be laying before the House the Secretary of State's second Annual Report to Parliament later in the year.
	The JESS working group will be looking this year at how best to take forward its reporting responsibilities in the light of feedback from users of its reports and the introduction of the Secretary of State's Annual Report.

PRIME MINISTER

Minister for Europe

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Prime Minister in what circumstances the Minister for Europe will attend Cabinet; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my official spokesman on 8 May, a copy of which is available on the No. 10 website.

Overseas Visits (Media Airfares)

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Prime Minister how much has been received from  (a) the ITV group,  (b) Sky,  (c) the BBC and  (d) non-UK based television companies in payment for airfares for journalists accompanying him on overseas trips in each of the last five years.

Tony Blair: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

CABINET OFFICE

Knowledge Network

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on the Knowledge Network in each year since 1997.

Hilary Armstrong: The costs of the Knowledge Network for each financial year since its inception in 1999 are shown in the table.
	
		
			   Gross spend (£ million) 
			 1999-2000 2.0 
			 2000-01 3.6 
			 2001-02 6.4 
			 2002-03 3.2 
			 2003-04 3.2 
			 2004-05 4.8 
			 2005-06 3.7 
		
	
	Up until 2003-04 the Cabinet Office funded the development and operational costs; since that time the Cabinet Office has recovered the majority of the costs from those government departments who are key users of the service.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Free School Meals

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children attending  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Southend-on-Sea, (ii) Essex, (iii) each local authority in Hertfordshire and (iv) England received free school meals in each year since 1990; and what estimate he has made of the number of children who will receive free school meals for each of the next five years.

Jim Knight: The available information is shown in the table.
	Information on school meals is only available on a consistent basis from 1993 onwards and has also been affected by local government reorganisation since then.
	The Department does not produce projected numbers of pupils who will be in receipt of free school meals in the future.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools ( 1) : school meal arrangements 1993-2006 (provisional)  Position in January each year 
			  Southend-on-Sea local authority 
			   Maintained primary 
			   Number on roll ( 2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals ( 3)  Percentage of pupils taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1998 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999 14,441 2,278 15.8 3,053 21.1 
			 2000 14,503 2,286 15.8 3,023 20.8 
			 2001 14,689 2,089 14.2 2,815 19.2 
			 2002 14,775 1,980 13.4 2,723 18.4 
			 2003 14,730 1,974 13.4 2,608 17.7 
			 2004 14,495 2,049 14.1 2,654 18.3 
			 2005 14,394 1,884 13.1 2,591 18.0 
			 2006 (provisional) 14,152 1,896 13.4 2,450 17.3 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary 
			   Number on roll ( 2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals ( 3)  Percentage of pupils taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1998 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999 10,743 1,192 11.1 1,668 15.5 
			 2000 11,032 1,099 10.0 1,559 14.1 
			 2001 11,367 1,004 8.8 1,489 13.1 
			 2002 11,711 1,057 9.0 1,401 12.0 
			 2003 12,024 1,066 8.9 1,346 11.2 
			 2004 12,205 967 7.9 1,433 11.7 
			 2005 12,411 1,152 9.3 1,506 12.1 
			 2006 (provisional) 12,601 1,124 8.9 1,480 11.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Essex local authority 
			   Maintained primary 
			   Number on roll ( 2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals ( 3)  Percentage of pupils taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1993 122,010 17,714 14.5 20,977 17.2 
			 1994 123,997 19,435 15.7 23,202 18.7 
			 1995 128,567 19,299 15.0 23,219 18.1 
			 1996 132,554 19,762 14.9 23,562 17.8 
			 1997 136,385 18,654 13.7 23,090 16.9 
			 1998 139,094 17,282 12.4 21,543 15.5 
			 1999 112,834 11,883 10.5 15,433 13.7 
			 2000 112,913 11,355 10.1 14,503 12.8 
			 2001 112,434 10,308 9.2 13,156 11.7 
			 2002 112,156 9,813 8.7 12,774 11.4 
			 2003 111,149 9,782 8.8 12,391 .11.1 
			 2004 110,131 9,785 8.9 12,335 11.2 
			 2005 108,391 9,576 8.8 11,788 10.9 
			 2006 (provisional) 107,125 9,430 8.8 10,801 10.1 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary 
			   Number on roll ( 2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals ( 3)  Percentage of pupils taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1993 98,730 7,444 7.5 10,569 10.7 
			 1994 95,463 8,830 9.2 11,775 12.3 
			 1995 96,307 9,350 9.7 12,497 13.0 
			 1996 96,535 9,579 9.9 12,783 13.2 
			 1997 97,620 9,236 9.5 12,537 12.8 
			 1998 98,590 8,999 9.1 12,275 12.5 
			 1999 82,185 6,622 8.1 9,051 11.0 
			 2000 84,218 6,552 7.8 8,825 10.5 
			 2001 86,251 6,107 7.1 8,601 10.0 
			 2002 87,802 6,052 6.9 8,198 9.3 
			 2003 89,496 6,001 6.7 7,992 8,9 
			 2004 90,686 6,283 6.9 8,163 9.0 
			 2005 90,909 6,041 6.6 7,772 8.5 
			 2006 (provisional) 91,140 5,841 6.4 7,595 8.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Hertfordshire local authority 
			   Maintained primary 
			   Number on roll ( 2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals ( 3)  Percentage of pupils taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1993 82,844 9,652 11.7 10,795 13.0 
			 1994 84,825 10,659 12.6 11,979 14.1 
			 1995 87,464 10,447 11.9 12,139 13.9 
			 1996 89,738 10,580 11.8 12,595 14.0 
			 1997 92,397 9,452 10.2 11,259 12.2 
			 1998 94,606 8,649 9.1 10,299 10.9 
			 1999 95,259 7,939 8.3 9,749 10.2 
			 2000 96,095 7,628 7.9 9,410 9.8 
			 2001 96,956 6,995 7.2 8,870 9.1 
			 2002 97,101 6,746 6.9 8,493 8.7 
			 2003 95,907 6,766 7.1 8,387 8.7 
			 2004 94,309 6,868 7.3 8,801 9.3 
			 2005 93,154 6,277 6.7 8,107 8.7 
			 2006 (provisional) 92,173 6,126 6.6 7,455 8.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained secondary 
			   Number on roll ( 2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals ( 3)  Percentage of pupils taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1993 66,944 4,663 7.0 5,724 8.6 
			 1994 68,235 5,307 7.8 6,561 9.6 
			 1995 69,099 5,434 7.9 6,788 9.8 
			 1996 70,032 5,460 7.8 6,845 9.8 
			 1997 70,682 5,072 7.2 6,570 9.3 
			 1998 71,718 4,557 6.4 6,140 8.6 
			 1999 72,916 4,248 5.8 5,802 8.0 
			 2000 74,603 4,322 5.8 5,725 7.7 
			 2001 75,824 4,074 5.4 5,605 7.4 
			 2002 76,831 3,818 5.0 5,167 6.7 
			 2003 78,350 4,047 5.2 5,122 6.5 
			 2004 79,296 4,278 5.4 5,327 6.7 
			 2005 79,638 4,332 5.4 5,344 6.7 
			 2006 (provisional) 80,324 4,473 5.6 5,244 6.5 
		
	
	
		
			  England 
			   Maintained primary 
			   Number on roll ( 2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals ( 3)  Percentage of pupils taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1993 4,165,310 768,780 18.5 916,070 22.0 
			 1994 4,241,670 810,650 19.1 949,790 22.4 
			 1995 4,312,070 810,750 18.8 956,500 22.2 
			 1996 4,389,310 823,530 18.8 974,280 22.2 
			 1997 4,428,620 771,780 17.4 938,540 21.2 
			 1998 4,460,130 727,840 16.3 886,070 19.9 
			 1999 4,460,170 686,840 15.4 848,170 19.0 
			 2000 4,435,340 668,180 15.1 816,990 18.4 
			 2001 4,406,190 628,510 14.3 779,310 17.7 
			 2002 4,363,270 613,560 14.1 750,590 17.2 
			 2003 4,309,780 601,900 14.0 727,630 16.9 
			 2004 4,254,210 605,840 14.2 737,220 17.3 
			 2005 4,205,670 565,830 13.5 713,680 17.0 
			 2006 (provisional) 4,151,970 553,560 13.3 667,180 16.1 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary 
			   Number on roll ( 2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals ( 3)  Percentage of pupils taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1993 2,960,830 338,190 11.4 472,350 16.0 
			 1994 2,929,350 370,160 12.6 517,110 17.7 
			 1995 2,988,950 387,550 13.0 539,440 18.0 
			 1996 3,006,940 399,620 13.3 550,900 18.3 
			 1997 3,036,990 381,240 12.6 552,900 18.2 
			 1998 3,069,030 367,800 12.0 537,070 17.5 
			 1999 3,118,280 367,800 11.8 527,340 16.9 
			 2000 3,178,000 368,300 11.6 523,630 16.5 
			 2001 3,226,970 353,470 11.0 509,680 15.8 
			 2002 3,260,930 354,260 10.9 486,350 14.9 
			 2003 3,308,490 349,780 10.6 478,920 14.5 
			 2004 3,326,800 351,380 10.6 477,290 14.3 
			 2005 3,317,590 335,140 10.1 465,520 14.0 
			 2006 (provisional) 3,310,030 328,640 9.9 448,610 13.6 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Prior to 2003 includes dually registered pupils and excludes boarding pupils; from 2003 onwards includes dually registered pupils and boarding pupils. (3) Based upon school level numbers of pupils who had a free school meal on the census day in January. n/a = not available—Southend figures included within Essex local authority prior to 1999. National pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10  Source:  Annual Schools Census

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Staff

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many whole-time equivalentstaff there were in each  (a) (i) customer-facing and (ii) benefit-processing district and  (b) call centre (A) before customer management service (CMS) was implemented and (B) after full or partial CMS implementation.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 11 May 2006
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many whole time equivalent staff there were in each (a) (i) customer facing and (ii) benefit processing district and (b) call centre (A) before Customer Management Service (CMS) and (B) after full or partial CMS implementation. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Our staffing information is not held in a format that allows any specific distinction between customer facing and benefit processing functions, as the majority of our benefit delivery staff have regular contact with customers.
	I attach a table which provides a breakdown of the number of Full Time Equivalent staff for the period ending 30 September 2003, immediately prior to the commencement of implementation of CMS in October 2003, and in March 2006. It differentiates between Jobcentres (including Jobcentre Plus offices), Social Security Offices and Contact Centres. The data includes some Districts for which Jobcentre Plus implementation is not yet complete.
	A number of factors have contributed to the changes in staffing volumes over the period, including progress towards the Government's efficiency challenge. The implementation of Jobcentre Plus introduces significant process changes, such as the introduction of work-focussed interventions for all new claims, which attracts additional resource in Jobcentres, but also some transfer of new claims work to Contact Centres. Comparisons of staffing numbers pre and post CMS implementation cannot therefore be directly attributable only to the introduction of the new information technology.
	I hope this is helpful.
	
		
			  District  Total FTEs at:  Jobcentre  Social security office  Contact centre 
			  East Midlands 
			 Derbyshire March 2006 698.26 — 406.29 
			  September 2003 918.94 — 0 
			 Leicestershire March 2006 530.96 0 — 
			  September 2003 655.45 1 — 
			 Lincolnshire and Rutland March 2006 121.4 289.29 188.78 
			  September 2003 266 212.96 0 
			 Northamptonshire March 2006 379.24 0 — 
			  September 2003 399.72 36.58 — 
			 Nottinghamshire March 2006 350.88 541.68 — 
			  September 2003 477.9 571.24 — 
			  
			  East of England 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire March 2006 600.73 251.97 — 
			  September 2003 660.78 280.85 — 
			 Cambridgeshire March 2006 185.9 194.76 — 
			  September 2003 184.05 273.07 — 
			 Essex March 2006 1013.33 27.21 13.04 
			  September 2003 1191.22 73.21 0 
			 Norfolk March 2006 603.77 39.49 — 
			  September 2003 389.57 248.87 — 
			 Suffolk March 2006 485.13 — 215 
			  September 2003 575.07 — 38.7 
			  
			  London 
			 Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon March 2006 452.49 0 62.97 
			  September 2003 672.54 6.4 0 
			 Central London March 2006 1523.02 19.54 — 
			  September 2003 1481.64 197.8 — 
			 City and East London March 2006 628.81 14.54 — 
			  September 2003 910.07 368.85 — 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth March 2006 618.37 99.95 — 
			  September 2003 1190.32 60.82 — 
			 North East London March 2006 477.52 — — 
			  September 2003 890.37 — — 
			 North London March 2006 397.69 233.96 — 
			  September 2003 371.12 504.76 — 
			 South East London March 2006 378.07 166.32 — 
			  September 2003 392.19 318.43 — 
			 South London March 2006 377.04 221.98 — 
			  September 2003 435.45 386.67 — 
			 West London March 2006 508.67 0 — 
			  September 2003 538.15 133.75 — 
			  
			  North East 
			 City of Sunderland March 2006 186.75 258.06 — 
			  September 2003 161.41 342.98 — 
			 Durham March 2006 231.6 166.61 — 
			  September 2003 265.82 277.71 — 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside March 2006 417.49 — — 
			  September 2003 579.34 — — 
			 Northumbria March 2006 472.09 283.06 210.01 
			  September 2003 618.9 305.87 12.06 
			 Tees Valley March 2006 724.2 109.86 169.78 
			  September 2003 897 135.76 0 
			  
			  North West 
			 Cheshire and Warrington March 2006 448.35 76.02 — 
			  September 2003 431.45 172.01 — 
			 Cumbria March 2006 422.72 101.28 — 
			  September 2003 290.44 249.06 — 
			 East Lancashire March 2006 295.09 212.27 145.04 
			  September 2003 476.42 182.04 0 
			 Greater Manchester Central March 2006 1106.53 150.44 — 
			  September 2003 1131.44 295.79 — 
			 Greater Manchester East March 2006 354.92 461.68 — 
			  September 2003 328.02 638.02 — 
			 Greater Manchester West March 2006 323.98 375.96 — 
			  September 2003 274.99 562.78 — 
			 Greater Mersey March 2006 929.44 — — 
			  September 2003 1121.16 — — 
			 Lancashire West March 2006 615.55 166.23 195.38 
			  September 2003 637.83 265.97 0 
			 Liverpool and Wirral March 2006 1132.57 1 417.81 
			  September 2003 1267.58 82.57 0 
			  
			  Scotland 
			 Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway and Inverclyde March 2006 505.54 311.79 — 
			  September 2003 517.63 435.84 — 
			 Edinburgh and Lothian and Borders March 2006 538.2 154.99 — 
			  September 2003 618.66 237.31 — 
			 Forth Valley and Fife March 2006 301.64 231.76 — 
			  September 2003 309.94 412.96 — 
			 Glasgow March 2006 887.01 209.35 0 
			  September 2003 1006.18 315.31 0 
			 Grampian and Tayside March 2006 646.52 22.81 245.98 
			  September 2003 773.78 55.5 1 
			 Highland, Islands and Clyde Coast March 2006 620.15 196.29 — 
			  September 2003 783.07 247.76 — 
			 Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire March 2006 291.78 466.75 — 
			  September 2003 438.01 433.6 — 
			 Highlands, Islands and Clyde Coast March 2006 — — 105.73 
			  September 2003 — — 0 
			  
			  South East 
			 Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire March 2006 513.51 360.63 — 
			  September 2003 740.82 442.09 — 
			 Hampshire March 2006 988.41 70.67 — 
			  September 2003 1088.65 116.15 — 
			 Kent March 2006 478.18 739.99 121.87 
			  September 2003 543.17 920.17 0 
			 Surrey and Sussex March 2006 1077.11 40.77 — 
			  September 2003 1231.2 125.06 — 
			 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire March 2006 — — 24.14 
			  September 2003 — — 0 
			  
			  South West 
			 Devon and Cornwall March 2006 1192.62 0 182.39 
			  September 2003 1169.37 215.84 0 
			 Dorset and Somerset March 2006 604.04 20.08 295.14 
			  September 2003 609.98 170.72 2 
			 Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Swindon March 2006 224.31 330.85 — 
			  September 2003 274.31 363.06 — 
			 West of England March 2006 215.04 464.43 — 
			  September 2003 280.2 448.78 — 
			  
			  Wales 
			 Bridgend, Rhondda, Cynon and Taf March 2006 321.61 0 288.21 
			  September 2003 478.13 20.93 30.81 
			 Cardiff and Vale March 2006 305.2 72.57 — 
			  September 2003 295.81 144.69 — 
			 Eastern Valleys March 2006 131.35 304.53 — 
			  September 2003 143.5 327.46 — 
			 North West Wales and Powys March 2006 209.18 7.02 134.2 
			  September 2003 313.98 3.82 0 
			 South East Wales March 2006 328.5 — 6.68 
			  September 2003 338.59 — 22.08 
			 Swansea Bay March 2006 189.4 130.29 — 
			  September 2003 180.09 287.01 — 
			 West Wales March 2006 192.77 154.03 195.05 
			  September 2003 140.38 252.14 98.81 
			 Wrexham and North Wales Coast March 2006 155.74 340.02 — 
			  September 2003 148.58 279.02 — 
			  
			  West Midlands 
			 Birmingham and Solihull March 2006 976.95 385.85 — 
			  September 2003 960.68 627.09 — 
			 Black Country March 2006 751.87 582.35 — 
			  September 2003 589.64 810.38 — 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire March 2006 302.85 125.66 165.2 
			  September 2003 454.02 239.22 0 
			 Staffordshire March 2006 361.95 465.69 — 
			  September 2003 401.71 462.56 — 
			 The Marches March 2006 475.52 206.55 179.91 
			  September 2003 586.7 287.95 0 
			  
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 
			 Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham March 2006 321.68 356.05 — 
			  September 2003 362.65 548.69 — 
			 Bradford March 2006 145.55 339.39 — 
			  September 2003 273.16 296.94  — 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees March 2006 504.31 — — 
			  September 2003 638.73 — — 
			 East Yorkshire and The Humber March 2006 439.63 402.51 — 
			  September 2003 544.57 505.16 — 
			 Leeds March 2006 231.11 351.58 — 
			  September 2003 392.61 428.43 — 
			 North Yorkshire March 2006 295.58 1 — 
			  September 2003 349.55 76.24 — 
			 Sheffield March 2006 327.38 253.12 — 
			  September 2003 286.04 362.25 — 
			 Wakefield March 2006 191.11 122.43 — 
			  September 2003 236.21 164.23 — 
			  
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees March 2006 — — 240.89 
			  September 2003 — — 118.96 
			 East Yorkshire and The Humber March 2006 — — 203.35 
			  September 2003 — — 0 
			 Sheffield March 2006 — — 130.25 
			  September 2003 — — 0

Overnight Stays

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for Ministers of State in his Department on foreign visits in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The information requested could be supplied only at disproportionate cost. Under the terms of the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, when travelling on official business Ministers are expected to make efficient and cost effective travel arrangements.

Pension Credit

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioner households were  (a) estimated to be eligible for and  (b) recipients of pension credit in (i) Aberdeen city and (ii) Aberdeenshire council areas in each financial year since 2001.

James Purnell: Estimates of eligibility are not available below the level of Great Britain. Information that is available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Pension credit recipients in the local authorities of Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, by quarter since November 2003 
			  Quarter  Aberdeen City  Aberdeenshire 
			 November 2003 7,200 6,680 
			 February 2004 7,790 7,460 
			 May 2004 8,490 8,250 
			 August 2004 8,770 8,700 
			 November 2004 8,830 8,800 
			 February 2005 8,840 8,860 
			 May 2005 8,870 9,010 
			 August 2005 8,870 9,060 
			 November 2005 8,860 9,100 
			  Notes: 1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Local Authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. 3. Pension Credit replaced Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) on 6 October 2003. 4. Recipients are those people who claim Pension Credit either on behalf of themselves only or on behalf of a household. This number is equal to the number of households in receipt of Pension Credit.  Source:  Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Pension Credit

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioner households have been  (a) estimated to be eligible for and  (b) recipients of pension credit in Gordon constituency for each financial year since 2001.

James Purnell: Estimates of eligibility are not available below the level of Great Britain. Information that is available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Pension credit recipients in the parliamentary constituency of Gordon, by quarter since November 2003 
			  Quarter  Recipients 
			 November 2003 2,120 
			 February 2004 2,390 
			 May 2004 2,650 
			 August 2004 2,830 
			 November 2004 2,870 
			 February 2005 2,890 
			 May 2005 2,820 
			 August 2005 2,820 
			 November 2005 2,820 
			  Notes: 1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Local Authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. 3. Pension Credit replaced Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) on 6 October 2003. 4. Recipients are those people who claim Pension Credit either on behalf of themselves only or on behalf of a household. This number is equal to the number of households in receipt of Pension Credit.  Source:  Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Power Companies (Security)

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department provides to power companies regarding appropriate security measures around  (a) high-voltage pylons and  (b) sub-stations.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 contain requirements to protect the public from danger associated with electrical plant, including high-voltage pylons and substations. Guidance on these regulations is available on DTI's website (www.dti.gov.uk/files/file26709.pdf).

Returning to Work

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 437W, on returning to work, when he expects to make an assessment of the total number of annual job entries that would result from a nationally rolled out service.

Anne McGuire: We are still working on plans for the national roll-out of Pathways to Work and will make an announcement in due course. We therefore cannot make an accurate assessment of future annual job entries until plans have been finalised.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC Broadcasts

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what she estimatesthe total cost of digital switchover will be to the (a) Government and  (b) BBC;
	(2)  how much money the  (a) Government and (b) BBC plan to spend on digital switchover assistance schemes to aid the elderly and the vulnerable.

Tessa Jowell: Other than the costs of updating television equipment within the Government sector, the only costs will be those incurred for research, communications and other programme support costs for the Digital Switchover Programme.
	The costs of digital switchover to the BBC arise from:
	the replacement of the existing analogue and digital terrestrial network with a new terrestrial network; Digital UK's communications campaign; the BBC's share of Digital UK's other operating costs; the assistance scheme for people aged 75 or over or with a significant disability.
	The BBC's digital switchover costs are being assessed as part of work to determine the licence fee settlement for the new Charter period. This work will draw upon a variety of sources, including the BBC's own figures and the financial analysis carried out by PKF, and set out in their independent report published on 26 April, and outputs from the Bolton Digital television trial, which considered the needs of those who would be entitled to help from the assistance scheme. We will set out details of the BBC's switchover costs, including the costs of the assistance scheme later this year in association with the BBC

BBC Jam

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on BBC jam's compliance with its approval conditions; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: We are aware of comments regarding BBC jam in the recent report of the Content Advisory Board (CAB) and of concerns raised by industry representatives. It is a matter for the BBC to ensure that the digital curriculum service fully complies with the conditions of its approval.

Channel 4

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects Ofcom to commence its financial review of Channel 4; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The timing of reviews by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) is a matter for Ofcom itself, within the framework of its statutory duties and powers. My officials have therefore asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member and to send me a copy of his response. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Fashion Industry

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) lottery funding and  (b) Exchequer funding for which her Department is responsible was spent in connection with sponsorship of the designer fashion industry in 2005-06; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The fashion industry is very important to the UK economy not only because of the contribution it makes to the economy and the employment it generates, but also because of the prestige our world-renowned designers generate for the UK.
	My Department is committed to helping to improve the productivity of the UK fashion industry, and as part of the Creative Economy Programme, which aims to improve the growth and productivity of the UK's creative industries, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State chaired a summit with fashion leaders to ascertain how Government can help the sector.
	No lottery funding was spent in 2005-06 in connection with sponsoring the designer fashion industry. Sponsorship of the designer fashion industry is outside the scope of the Lottery Good Causes:
	Arts
	Heritage
	Sport
	Charitable Expenditure
	Health
	Education and Environment
	the Olympics.
	The Scottish Arts Council has used lottery money to assist people working in the fashion industry but does not use its funds for sponsorship. The Scottish Arts Council made three relevant Professional Development awards in 2005-06 totalling £2,705.
	In addition, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) made one grant of £35,000 to a designer fashion project in 2005. NESTA does not receive an income stream from lottery proceeds, although its core revenue comes from investment income on a £250 million endowment originally received from the National Lottery.
	Staff costs associated with my Department's day-to-day sponsorship of the designer fashion industry since taking on responsibility for the sector in 2005 were found from within existing resources and no additional staff have been employed to sponsor the sector.

Football

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has held with  (a) the Football League,  (b) publicans and  (c) police authorities on the impact on Football League attendances of the screening of Premiership football on a Saturday afternoon via foreign satellite systems.

Richard Caborn: I have not held any discussions with the Football League, publicans or police authorities regarding the impact that the screening of Premiership football on a Saturday afternoon via foreign satellite systems has on Football League attendances.

Football

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Football Association Premier League on season ticket prices.

Richard Caborn: I have not held any discussions with the FA Premier League on season ticket prices.
	The Government have no role in the commercial and sporting operation of professional football. The issue of season tickets prices is a matter between individual clubs and the relevant football authorities.

Hospitality (Environmental Impact)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the impact on the environment of green accommodation providers within the hospitality sector; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the environmental impact of the hospitality sector; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The Department has made no such assessments, either in relation to the hospitality sector as a whole or to green accommodation providers, and there are currently no plans for it to do so.
	However, I recognise that all tourism businesses have a major role to play in helping protect and enhance the environment, in line with the Government's wider goals of sustainable development. I therefore welcome the participation of hospitality businesses in schemes such as Hospitable Climates (a programme that has saved over 130,000 tonnes of carbon through reducingCO2 emissions since 2000) and the David Bellamy Conservation Award (held by over 500 holiday parks).
	English Tourism Council research during 2003-04 showed that 84 per cent. of customers surveyed would choose an attraction or accommodation which was a member of a "green" accreditation scheme over one that was not—and that 68 per cent. would pay more for doing so. Currently over 10 schemes exist at national and local level, including the David Bellamy Award and the Green Tourism Business Scheme (over 500 businesses across England and Scotland). We are working with tourism stakeholders in England to develop a national framework for such schemes.

Olympic Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government are taking to ensure a lasting legacy of increased sporting participation following the 2012 Olympic Games.

Richard Caborn: We are committed to driving up grass-roots participation in sport across the whole of the UK. The Olympic Board has overall responsibility for ensuring that the social, economic and sporting benefits from 2012 are maximised. The Board have agreed that the Greater London Authority, the British Olympic Association and Government will work together to ensure that there is lasting legacy of increased sporting participation in London, and the wider UK, as a result of the 2012 Games.
	We are keen to use the inspiration of the Olympics and Paralympics to boost the numbers of people, particularly young people, engaged in sport. The UK School Games, which we envisage will be held each year in the run up to 2012, will not only be an opportunity for talented young people to engage in a major sporting event, but will also provide inspiration and a lasting legacy of competitive school sport for countless others.

Russian Orchestras

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the cost of visas and work permits for visiting orchestras from Russia; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: Matters relating to the cost of work permits and visas are the responsibility of the Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Shostakovich Centenary

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department is giving to Shostakovich Centenary events.

David Lammy: The Government support the arts through Arts Council England. A number of organisations in receipt of regular funding from the Arts Council are holding concerts and other events to mark the centenary of Shostakovich's birth.

The Public (West Bromwich)

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Arts Council was informed of the legal advice given to the West Bromwich arts organisation The Public.

David Lammy: Arts Council England was informed by the Board of The Public on 3 March 2006, that, acting on legal advice, they were to register their insolvency.

Tourism

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library her Department's consultation document on the Tourism 2012 Charter strategy; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: My Department is finalising the Tourism 2012 Strategy consultation document. It will be issued shortly, at which time I shall arrange for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Tourism

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the value of inbound tourism from China in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Spend by inbound travellers from China increased by 240 per cent. between 1997 and 2005. Annual figures from the International Passenger Survey (for mainland China only—excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong) are given in the following table:
	
		
			   Spend (£ million) 
			 1997 32 
			 1998 51 
			 1999 40 
			 2000 82 
			 2001 83 
			 2002 80 
			 2003 127 
			 2004 131 
			 2005 109 
			  Note:  2005 data are provisional 
		
	
	The UN World Tourism Organisation has predicted that the number of outbound visits from China will grow by 12.3 per cent. a year from 1995 to reach 100 million in 2020, and that China will become the fourth largest source of international travellers, behind Germany, Japan and the United States.
	This is why the Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese Government in January 2005, which conferred Approved Destination Status (ADS) on the UK. ADS came into operation in July 2005, meaning that for the first time the UK could be marketed as a holiday destination in China. Prior to ADS it was possible for Chinese nationals to travel to the UK for business or study purposes only.
	VisitBritain has launched a major marketing initiative—Britain Welcomes China—to take advantage of ADS. China is now the best resourced of VisitBritain's emerging markets. VisitBritain has estimated that the Chinese market could be worth £200 million a year by 2010 and £500 million a year by 2020.

Tourism

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total value of the tourism industry to the economy was in each year since 1980; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Estimates of the value of the tourism industry to the economy for the years 1996 to 2003 are given as follows. 2003 is the latest year for which data have been estimated, and figures prior to 1996 are not available on a comparable basis.
	
		
			   £ billion  Percentage 
			 1996 58.7 (1)4.6 
			 1997 65.7 (1)4.9 
			 1998 70.0 (1)4.9 
			 1999 73.3 (1)4.9 
			 2000 74.9 (2)3.8 
			 2001 72.9 (2)3.6 
			 2002 73.7 (2)3.5 
			 2003 74.2 (2)3.4 
			 (1) Of Gross Domestic Product  (2) Of Gross Value Added 
		
	
	These figures include expenditure in respect of inbound tourists while in the UK, domestic trips with an overnight stay, domestic leisure day visits, fares paid to UK carriers, and imputed rents for second home ownership.
	From 2000, the industry's contribution to the wider economy is measured in terms of Gross Value Added, rather than Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This isin line with wider statistical norms across the Government. Also in that year, the estimates used are based on Tourism Satellite Accounting, which gives a more accurate statement of the size of the sector.

HEALTH

Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will update the table of statistics printed in the special report and report of the Select Committee on the Infant Life (Preservation) Bill, H.L. Paper 153 of 1986-87 and H.L. Paper 50 of 1987-88, on  (a) the number of notifications of abortions carried out under the Abortion Act 1967, gestation by completed weeks by statutory grounds and category of premises, residents and non-residents, England and Wales, in the special report on pages 22 to 26 and the report on pages 72 to 73, and  (b) the number of notifications of abortions carried out under the Abortion Act 1967, gestation by completed weeks by statutory grounds and mother's age, England and Wales as in the special report on pages 28 to 37 and in the report on pages 74 to 77, to cover each year since 1990.

Caroline Flint: This information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The most relevant information available is published within the annual abortion statistics for England and Wales which are available in the Library. The data can also be found on the Department's website:
	 2002-04 data:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/StatisticalWorkAreas/StatisticalPublicHealth/fs/en
	 1991-2001 data:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp%3Fvlnk%3D68 %26Pos %3D2%26ColRank%3D2%26Rank%3D640

Accident and Emergency Departments

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the percentage of people who attended Accident and Emergency units who needed emergency treatment in the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the percentage of people who attended Accident and Emergency units who needed to be seen within four hours in the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Data on the level of clinical need of patients presenting at accident and emergency are not collected centrally. Four hours is an access standard. Clinicians use well established triage systems to prioritise patients' clinical needs.

Acute Services

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had on the delivery of acute services in Surrey.

Caroline Flint: There have been no recent discussions on the delivery of acute services in Surrey.

Acute Services

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent  (a) representations she has received and  (b) discussions she has had on the delivery of acute services in south-east London.

Ivan Lewis: No representations have been received and no discussions have been held on the delivery of acute services in south-east London.

Advertising

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to publish an impact assessment on the health effects of Ofcom's proposed restrictions on the volume and scheduling of the broadcast advertising code.

Caroline Flint: A health impact analysis was included in the regulatory impact assessment published by Ofcom alongside the consultation looking at options for new restrictions for television advertising of food and drink products to children on 28 March 2006. As the regulator, it is Ofcom's responsibility to produce an impact assessment.

Audiology Services

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that  (a) existing levels of funding for hearing aid services are maintained and  (b) waiting times and waiting numbers are reduced following the exclusion of direct audiology referrals from the 18-week waiting time target.

Ivan Lewis: The Department expects to announce final allocations of funding for the national health service, including audiology services, in the near future.
	From April 2005, the 164 NHS audiology departments have been able routinely to assess for and fit digital hearing aids. It is for primary care trusts to ensure their local population benefits from the modernised services.
	For audiology and adult hearing services, a separate action plan is being developed on improving access to services. This reflects the direction set out in the White Paper "Our health, our care, our say" (January 2006) to move services closer to the patient.

Bone Marrow Register

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many blood donors have been added to the British bone marrow register in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the annual expenditure of her Department has been on the British bone marrow register in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what action she is taking to raise awareness of bone marrow donation among ethnic groups.

Caroline Flint: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for managing blood supplies in England and north Wales and for managing the British Bone Marrow Register (BBMR). It does this through its operating division—the National Blood Service (NBS). The NBS recruits blood donors from the general public and potential bone marrow donors from the active blood donor populations.
	Over the last three years, the NBS has added over 120,000 people to the BBMR:
	
		
			   People added to the BBMR 
			 2003-04 42,644 
			 2004-05 42,375 
			 2005-06 37,248 
		
	
	The Department has provided NBS with £3.3 million for each of the past three years to fund the addition of 120,000 potential donors to the BBMR. The NBS's strategy over the coming year is to maintain the BBMR at its current size and focus their recruitment activity towards under-represented ethnic groups.
	In 2004, the NBS commissioned the Central Office of Information (COI) to lead on a long-term strategy to attract more people from ethnic communities to give blood and join the BBMR. A campaign called 'OneBlood' is addressing existing barriers by
	raising awareness of the importance and relevance of blood donation; encouraging individual and community ownership of the issue; tackling religious objections and myths; encouraging blood donation.
	The NBS has also developed an advertising campaign 'Are you my Type' which features black and minority ethnic celebrities.

Bone Marrow Register

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what value for money assessment has been made of her Department's funding of the British bone marrow register;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of different methods of encouraging bone marrow donation.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not undertaken a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the British Bone Marrow Register (BBMR). However, the National Blood Service (NBS) has successfully recruited over 120,000 potential bone marrow donors to the registry in the last three years.
	The number of procedures undertaken through the BBMR in the last three years are 137 bone marrow transplants and 175 peripheral blood transplants for both United Kingdom and international patients.
	We are committed to continued improvements to the BBMR so that patients requiring bone marrow are increasingly likely to find a match. The NBS's strategy over the coming year is to maintain the BBMR at its current size and focus their recruitment activity towards under represented ethnic groups.

Breast Screening

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deliveries at the Eastbourne District General hospital maternity unit have involved significant complications in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Breastfeeding

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) was spent on supporting breastfeeding during the 2005-06 financial year and  (b) has been allocated to support breastfeeding in the 2006-07 financial year; what measures she has taken to promote breastfeeding; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: In 2005-06, the Department spent £743,000 on promoting and supporting breastfeeding and infant nutrition.
	In addition, a further £309,000 has been spent on materials for the new Healthy Start initiative, which supports breastfeeding. Funding for 2006-07 is due to be confirmed shortly.
	Primary care trusts are responsible at a local level for breastfeeding services and support.

Breastfeeding

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) information and  (b) support on breastfeeding is routinely made available to parents; and what assessment she has made of whether provision is consistent across the country.

Caroline Flint: The Department undertakes work at a national level to support breastfeeding including providing a range of breastfeeding publications, guidance and leaflets which are made available through the national health service to health professionals and parents.
	The Government have adopted the World Health Organization recommendations to encourage exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, with continued breastfeeding alongside the introduction of complementary feeding.
	Breastfeeding services and support for breastfeeding at a local level is the responsibility of NHS primary care trusts. The Government have a commitment in the NHS Plan to increase support for breastfeeding as part of its strategy to reduce health inequalities and has set a target to increase breastfeeding initiation rates by 2per cent. per year.

Child Drug Addicts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of children taking  (a) heroin and  (b) cocaine.

Caroline Flint: Figures from the schools survey, 'Drug use, Smoking and Drinking among Young People in England in 2005: Headline Figures'(1) show that 1 per cent. of secondary school children aged 11 to 15 had used heroin in the last year and 2 per cent. had used cocaine in the last year.
	These headline figures do not contain estimates of numbers and nor do any of the full schools survey reports. There would be difficulties in taking account of the survey design and sampling, which mean we are unable to supply estimates of actual numbers.
	The Home Office's yearly British crime survey (BCS) has published figures for 2004-05 estimating the numbers of young people(2), who have taken drugs in their lifetime, in the last year and in the previous month. These figures are shown in table one.
	(1) 2006, The Information Centre for health and social care, public health statistics
	(2) Young people are defined as those aged 16 to 24 living in England and Wales because the BCS drugs module is only asked to those aged 16 to 59 and the young people's target of the drug strategy focuses on those aged under 25.
	
		
			  Table 1( 1) 
			  Drug  Used ever  Used last year  Used previous month 
			 Cocaine 531,000 298,000 127,000 
			 Heroin 34,000 9,000 5,000 
			 (1) Estimates are derived by multiplying the prevalence rate by the estimated population aged 16 to 24 in England and Wales. The figures are calculated using population estimates provided by the Government Actuarial Service.

Children's Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health service staff have received specific training and support to promote the psychological well-being of children.

Rosie Winterton: Information regarding the number of health service staff receiving training and support to promote the psychological well-being of children is not held centrally by the Department.

Children's Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in primary care have received specific training in the assessment of  (a) children,  (b) mental health conditions and  (c) child mental health conditions.

Rosie Winterton: Information regarding training for the assessment of children, mental health conditions and children's mental health conditions in primary care is not held centrally by the Department.

Doctors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations have been held with the Community Relations Council on the implications of the new immigration rules for Commonwealth doctors and their prospects for employment and training.

Rosie Winterton: The Community Relations Council was not consulted on the implications of the new immigration rules.

Doctors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether EU doctors appointed under new work permit regulations will have to take  (a) the International English Language Testing System examinations and  (b) an equivalent test of proficiency in English.

Rosie Winterton: Doctors who are nationals of the European Economic Area are not required to pass a language proficiency exam for the purposes of registering with the General Medical Council.
	However, national health service employers are required to ensure that those whom recruit can safely communicate with patients.

Doctors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessments she has made of the likely effect of the new regulations on work permits for non-EU doctors on the  (a) numbers and  (b) quality of doctors recruited from the Commonwealth.

Rosie Winterton: The success of our investment in workforce and training has led to increasing competition for posts. As a result, there will be correspondingly fewer opportunities for doctors from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), who will, however, still be able to apply to posts which have not been filled by a suitable EEA candidate.
	It is the responsibility of the General Medical Council to ensure that all doctors registered in the United Kingdom are fit to practise.

Doctors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long doctors of overseas origin who are UK graduates will be allowed to complete their foundation training before they are sent home.

Rosie Winterton: Doctors from outside the European Economic Area who have graduated in the United Kingdom will have up to three years to complete their foundation training. Once the foundation course has been completed doctors will need to meet the normal requirements of the immigration rules.

Doctors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure that overseas junior doctors working in the UK are allowed to complete their training without a permit.

Rosie Winterton: We have put in place transitional arrangements to ensure that doctors currently in training posts are able to complete their training.

Doctors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give overseas doctors living in the UK who are not employed a grace period of up to two years in which to find a training post.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has been working with the Home Office to put in place transitional arrangements. Those doctors and dentists, who were offered a relevant training post before the changes were announced will be given the opportunity to complete their training.
	There is no need for any additional arrangement. It was already the case before this recent change that doctors and dentists could not be granted an extension of stay as a postgraduate doctor or dentist without having a recognised training post arranged. Those without posts would not have been eligible to extend their stay.

Doctors

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the new rules restricting the employment of non-European economic area doctors on such doctors working in England; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has been working with the Home Office to put in place transitional arrangements. Those doctors and dentists who were offered a relevant training post before the changes were announced will be given the opportunity to complete their training.
	Overseas doctors and dentists will still be able to come and train in the United Kingdom. They will now be considered as being in employment for immigration purposes and will need to meet the requirements of an employment category of the immigration rules.

Doctors

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors who are non-European Economic Area citizens who work in the NHS received their medical training in the United Kingdom; how many received their training in another part of the European Economic Area; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not collected centrally relating to the country of origin of national health service staff.

Doctors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps NHS trusts will have to take to ensure that no EU or EEA applicants are available for doctors posts, with particular reference to the advertisement of posts;
	(2)  what demonstration of a lack of suitable EU or EEA nationals for vacant medical posts NHS trusts will have to make before they can consider international medical graduates from other countries; and whether work permits will be issued to non-EU and non-EEA nationals  (a) before application,  (b) on application and  (c) on appointment.

Rosie Winterton: Before they employ a person who requires a work permit to work in the United Kingdom, national health service trusts will need to satisfy the resident labour market test. To demonstrate they have done this, they should provide:
	The vacancy as it appeared on a website, if advertised on NHS jobs or similar portal, or a
	copy of the advertisement as it appeared in a recognised journal;
	Confirmation of where the post was advertised;
	Proof that the advertisement was placed within six months of the work permit application being made;
	Information on how many people applied for the post;
	Information on how many people were shortlisted for the post; and
	An explanation, for each resident worker who applied, why they have not been employed.
	Work Permits (UK) expects vacancies to be placed in the most appropriate medium for reaching suitably qualified resident workers.
	Employers should apply for a work permit once the appointment has been made.

Doctors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the new recruitment process for overseas doctors will be put in place; and when examinations will be held overseas as part of its arrangements.

Rosie Winterton: The new recruitment process for junior doctors will be in place by October 2006 for posts starting in August 2007.
	The professional and linguistic assessment board is the responsibility of the General Medical Council and it is their responsibility to determine when and where the exam will take place.

Doctors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations she has received from the British Medical Association (BMA) on the new regulations on work permits for trainee doctors; and how many of the BMA's proposals she accepted.
	(2)  what representations she has received from the BMA on the new regulations on work permits for trainee doctors.

Rosie Winterton: We have received no representations. Departmental officials have met with the British Medical Association's junior doctors committee and the international committee to clarify the arrangements.

Dignity Nurses

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what measurable outcomes a dignity nurse will deliver in each care setting where a nurse is so designated;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of how the  (a) content of and  (b) curriculum for nurse training fits her plans for dignity nurses;
	(3)  what process will be used to appoint dignity nurses; and what estimate she has made of the number of dignity nurses who will be in post by the end of  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08;
	(4)  how the work of designated dignity nurses will be evaluated;
	(5)  what the  (a) role and  (b) remit will be of designated dignity nurses; and how she expects this to differ from the role of other nurses.

Rosie Winterton: There is not a specific nursing role called a dignity nurse. All nurses are expected to protect patients' dignity and be trained to deliver high standards of care.
	'A New Ambition for Old Age—Next Steps in Implementing the National Service Framework for Older People' was published in April 2006. This builds on the role of existing nurse leaders such as modern matrons, ward sisters and directors of nursing and strengthens their responsibility for ensuring that older people in their area of care are treated with respect for their dignity. Organisations need to identify specific nurses from their existing clinical leaders and these nurse leaders are to be champions for maintaining patient dignity, providing leadership and support to others and embedding dignity considerations in all working practices.
	Nurse leaders can use the national benchmarking system to evaluate their effectiveness. 'Essence of Care' includes a measure for assessing the preservation of dignity. Standards of care are also monitored through the Healthcare Commission and Commission for Social Care Inspection and patient feedback surveys.

Drug Rehabilitation

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many publicly funded residential drug rehabilitation places there were in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not hold annual records of publicly funded residential rehabilitation places for the last five years.
	The National Treatment Agency for substance misuse launched a residential directory on 8 August 2003, and an online bed vacancy directory, BEDVACS, started on 23 April 2004. There is no record of any data prior to 1 February 2005. On 1 February 2005, there were 118 English residential rehabilitation units with a total of 2,498 beds. The most recent data from February 2006 show that the directory lists 119 English residential rehabilitation units with a total of 2,530 beds.

Drug Rehabilitation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are on  (a) methadone,  (b) buprenorphine and  (c) naltrexone in England in order to treat drug addiction.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not hold information centrally for the number of people in drug treatment who receive prescribed drugs methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone.
	Figures for 2005-06 taken from the National Treatment Agency's national drug treatment monitoring system (NDTMS) give data on the number of people receiving all opiate substitutes, including methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone, as part of a drug treatment programme. However, we are unable to split data taken from NDTMS into separate opiate substitutes. The overall figures are shown in table.
	
		
			  2005-06 
			   Numbers treatment 
			 Specialist prescribing (secondary care) 48,786 
			 General practitioner prescribing 21,577 
			 Total 70,363

Drug Rehabilitation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals have  (a) entered and  (b) remained for over three months in drug rehabilitation treatment in (i) Birklands and (ii) Meden ward of Mansfield in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: Data are not held centrally. The table shows information relating to the Nottinghamshire drug action team. Data are not available prior to 2003-04.
	
		
			  Drug rehabilitation treatment, Nottinghamshire drug and alcohol action team 
			   Number of patients entering rehabilitation treatment  Number of patients remaining in rehabilitation treatment for more than three months 
			 2003-04 1,678 480 
			 2004-05 1,702 557 
			  Source:  National Treatment Agency, national drug treatment monitoring system

Drug Rehabilitation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many methadone patients have been registered with the drugs and alcohol action team in  (a) Meden and  (b) Birklands ward in Mansfield in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: Methadone patients are not required to register with a drug and alcohol team. In 2005-06, the national drug treatment monitoring system had notification of 1,249 Nottinghamshire residents receiving 2,234 episodes of substitute prescribing. 892 of these episodes were through specialist prescribing services, and 1,342 were through general practice prescribing.

Drug Rehabilitation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many needle exchange transactions have there been in  (a) Meden and  (b) Birklands ward of Mansfield in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not held centrally.

Drug Rehabilitation

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been treated with methadone in each of the last five years; and how many of them were former prisoners.

Caroline Flint: Records taken from the National Treatment Agency's national drug treatment monitoring system give data on the number of people receiving all opiate substitutes, like buprenorphine and naltrexone, and not just methadone, as part of a drug treatment programme. These figures are available for the last three years only:
	
		
			  2003-04 
			   Number treated 
			 Specialist prescribing (secondary care) 53,676 
			 General practitioner (GP) prescribing 9,151 
			 Total 62,827 
		
	
	
		
			  2004-05 
			   Number treated 
			 Specialist prescribing (secondary care) 48,818 
			 GP prescribing 18,972 
			 Total 67,790 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			   Number treated 
			 Specialist prescribing (secondary care) 48,786 
			 GP prescribing 21,577 
			 Total 70,363 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information on how many of these were former prisoners.

Eastbourne District General Hospital

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overnight stays in the paediatric ward of the Eastbourne District General hospital there have been in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.

External Consultants

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been allocated to external consultants for the recruitment exercise for chairs of strategic health authorities.

Rosie Winterton: The recruitment of the chairs for the strategic health authorities was managed by the NHS Appointments Commission. I have asked the Commission's chair to answer my hon. Friend's question directly.

Food/Alcohol Advertising

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she last met Ofcom to discuss the rules on broadcast advertising, sponsorship and promotion of food and drink to young people; if she will publish the minutes of the meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Ofcom met the Food Standards Agency and myself on 22 March 2006 when they set out the options for restrictions on broadcast advertising that were subsequently published in a consultation document on 28 March. Ofcom were also represented at the last meeting of the food and drink advertising and promotion forum on 26 April 2006, which I attended in part.

Fourth World Conference on Women

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response her Department made to the report of the Fourth World Conference on Women 1995.

Caroline Flint: The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 helped focus attention on gender equality in policy making and in particular on services to strengthen women's health.
	The Department is committed to improving the health and well being of the general population, including the promotion of healthy lifestyles. The Department is currently taking forward a number of initiatives, including gender specific screening programmes. Some initiatives address particular aspects of women's health which take account of vulnerable and hard to reach populations. Examples include work related to the maternity standard of the national service framework for children, young people and maternity services. The standard contains a number of recommendations including ones to address improving maternal health and the needs of pregnant women experiencing domestic violence. Many of our initiatives help to promote empowerment of women by encouraging choice and partnership working with professionals over care, therefore fulfilling the commitment given in Beijing.
	In March, the Department wrote to Baroness Prosser at the Women's National Commission in response to its annual violence against women audit. We provided information on a range of subjects from domestic abuse and female genital mutilation to the gender equality public sector duty, which all public bodies will be legally bound to uphold from April 2007.

Great Western Ambulance Service

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) administrative centres and  (b) call centres the new Great Western Ambulance Service plans to have; and what guarantees have been made to existing staff on redeployment.

Rosie Winterton: The number of administrative centres and control rooms for each ambulance trust is a local matter for the trust concerned.
	The principles of the human resources (HR) framework, agreed in partnership with trade unions nationally, apply to the recently merged Great Western Ambulance Service. The HR framework was produced to ensure that changes to configuration arising from "Taking Healthcare to the Patient: Transforming NHS Ambulance Services" are managed consistently and equitably across the country.
	Any staff who do not secure jobs in the new structure and who may remain at risk of redundancy will have guaranteed employment until March 2007, and during the intervening period support will be provided to staff in obtaining suitable alternative employment within local national health service communities and partner organisations.

Midwives

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to ensure more midwives are recruited in the north west region.

Rosie Winterton: Individual national health service organisations are responsible for the recruitment of midwives. However, the Department is currently assessing the implications of the recently published White Paper 'Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services' and the commitment around offering choice within maternity services.

Midwives

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of midwives have a nursing qualification as well as a midwifery qualification.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally by the Department or the Information Centre for health and social care.
	However, the Nursing and Midwifery Council holds figures on the number of midwives in the United Kingdom (UK) with more than one qualification.
	According to their data, there are 22,306 midwives in the UK with more than one qualification.

Mobile Telephony

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the health effects of mobile telephony; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Stewart report in 2000 comprehensively reviewed the scientific literature and concluded that
	"the balance of evidence to date suggests that exposures below international guidelines do not cause health effects to the general population"
	(www.iegmp.org.uk). More recently, "Mobile Phones and Health 2004" reiterated the Stewart report's conclusions noting that
	"there is a lack of hard information showing that the mobile phone systems in use are damaging to health."
	The report [Documents of the National Radiological Protection Board, Volume 15, No. 5] is available on the Health Protection Agency's radiation protection division's (HPA-RPD) website at www.hpa.org.uk/radiation. Both these reports, additionally, recommended further research and a precautionary approach to the use of mobile phone technology pending the availability of more robust scientific research results.
	The independently managed mobile telecommunications and health research (MTHR) programme was set up in 2001 in response to the Stewart report recommendations. It is currently supporting a number of studies into the possible health effects of mobile phone technology and these are described on the MTHR's website at www.mthr.org.uk.
	All mobile phones and base stations in this country comply with international guidelines that are based on comprehensive reviews of the scientific literature. Measurements undertaken by both the HPA and by Ofcom (www.ofcom.org.uk) have consistently shown that exposures to radio signals from base stations are lower than the international guideline levels.

National Treatment Agency

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been of the National Treatment Agency since its inception.

Caroline Flint: The National Treatment Agency for substance misuse (NTA) has been funded by central Government since its inception in 2001-02. Total funding is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Funding of the NTA, 2001-02 to 2005-06 
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 3.4 
			 2002-03 6 
			 2003-04 7.76 
			 2004-05 10.43 
			 2005-06 12.10

National Treatment Agency

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what programmes are being undertaken by the National Treatment Agency; and how many people are employed by the Agency.

Caroline Flint: The National Treatment Agency for substance misuse (NTA) business plan outlines work programmes planned by the NTA for the year ahead, within seven priority areas:
	treatment capacity;
	access;
	retention;
	treatment delivery;
	criminal justice and the drug intervention programme; and
	young people.
	The business plan has not yet been finalised to reflect the possibility of programme changes when funding allocations for the year are finalised.
	As at 1 April 2006, there were 130 full-time employees of the NTA.

NHS Business Arrangement Manual

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the  (a) individuals and  (b) companies consulted in writing on the forthcoming business arrangement manual for NHS managers.

Rosie Winterton: The "Business Arrangement Manual for NHS managers" was published on25 January 2006 as the document "The NHS in England: the operating framework for 2006/7".
	As is common for publications of this type, the Department consulted informally with a broad selection of senior national health service managers. The Department also consulted in writing with Monitor in relation to issues concerning NHS foundation trusts. In addition, the Department consulted informally with individuals in other Government departments.

NHS Finances

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date the  (a) West Gloucestershire primary care trust,  (b) Cotswold and Vale primary care trust,  (c) Cheltenham and Tewkesbury primary care trust,  (d) Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust,  (e) Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and  (f) Great Western Ambulance Trust are required to (i) achieve month by month financial balance and (ii) clear the accumulated deficit from prior years.

Caroline Flint: With respect to Gloucestershire Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, this is a matter for the Chair and I have written to the Chair to inform him of the hon. Member's inquiry and copies will be placed in the Library.
	With respect to the other organisations the hon. Member refers to, the strategic health authority (SHA) has the responsibility to secure financial balance across the area by the end of the financial year. The SHA is agreeing plans with local organisations to achieve month by month financial balance and clear the accumulated deficit from prior years.

NHS Hospitals

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2006, to question 70030, on NHS hospitals, if she will list the NHS facilities in England which have inpatient beds.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is available on the Department's website at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/data_ requests/index.htm

NHS Pension Scheme

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the impact of agenda for change on the NHS Pension Scheme;
	(2)  whether the figures she has released on the under-estimate of the cost of the GP and consultants contract include the cost of the contract to the NHS Pension Scheme.

Rosie Winterton: The Government Actuary's department has valued the total liabilities of the NHS Pension Scheme as at 31 March 2005 to be £127.9 billion. They are in the process of preparing a detailed actuarial valuation of the scheme as at 31 March 2004 which will be published later this year, which will include analysis of the factors leading to any change in valuation.

NHS Staff

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2006, to  Official Report, column 62W, on NHS staff, what the estimated out-turn figures are for 2006.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally.

Nurses

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of student nurses who graduate in 2006 who will find jobs within the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: We estimate up to 19,000 student nurses will complete their training in 2006. It is not possible to state exactly how many nursing students will complete their training in any given year because a number will delay completion, leave the course or take career breaks.
	There are still jobs for newly qualified staff in the national health service but there is now a closer match between demand and supply, and consequently more competition. We will continue to need new staff to replace those who retire or take career breaks. Strategic health authorities and trusts are working proactively to find opportunities for graduates within their overall workforce plans.

Obesity

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the annual change in obesity levels in children under 11 years of age in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The data requested are shown in the table:
	
		
			  Prevalence of obesity among among children aged 2-10 by sex, England 1997-2004 
			  Percentage 
			   unweighted  weighted( 1) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2003  2004 
			 Boys 11.1 11.4 16.1 12.2 13.5 15.2 14.9 15.1 15.9 
			 Girls 10.7 11.8 13 11.8 12.7 15.8 12.5 12.4 12.8 
			  Bases  
			 Boys 2,007 1,336 633 570 1,035 2,364 876 878 5,368 
			 Girls 2,082 1,216 628 523 1,094 2,290 897 858 4,901 
			 (1) From 2003 data were weighted for non response and are not directly comparable with previous years. Unweighted 2003 data are also included to show the effect of weighting.   Source:  Health Survey for England 2004—updating of trend tables to include 2004 data

Obesity

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on progress towards issuing guidance on  (a) prevention,  (b) identification,  (c) management and  (d) treatment of obesity.

Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) guideline on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children is currently out for consultation. The guideline will be published in November 2006. Meanwhile, in order to help primary care trusts to improve the provision of obesity services and advice to patients, the Department has published an obesity care pathway and weight loss guide on 4 May.

Obesity

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with the British Medical Association on the prevention of childhood obesity; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: On 1 February 2006, I met with the British Medical Association to discuss issues related to the prevention of childhood obesity.

Obesity

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines her Department has set for the  (a) minimum and  (b) maximum recommended daily calorie requirements for adolescents aged 13 to 18 years.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not set any minimum or maximum daily calorie requirements for adolescents aged 13 to 18 years. However, the committee on medical aspects of food policy published a report in 1994, "Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom", which gives estimated average energy requirements for children and adolescents based on their present lifestyles and activity levels.
	The relevant estimated average requirements (EARs) for energy in adolescents is shown in the table:
	
		
			  EAR (kcal/d) 
			  Age  Males  Females 
			 11-14 years 2,220 1,845 
			 15-18 years 2,755 2,110

Parkinson's Disease

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist neurological nurses there have been for Parkinson's disease in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) primary care trust area.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of specialist neurological nurses for Parkinson's disease is not collected centrally.

Parkinson's Disease

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease there were in  (a) England and  (b) Tamworth constituency in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what percentage of people in  (a) England and  (b) Tamworth constituency diagnosed with Parkinson's disease have access to a specialist nurse; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Data on the number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are not collected. However, the Parkinson's Disease Society estimated that around 10,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year in the United Kingdom.
	The percentage of those living with Parkinson's disease with access to a Parkinson's disease nurse specialist is not collected.

Sexual Health

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients who presented themselves at a genito-urinary medicine clinic within the Greater Derbyshire and Derby Central Primary Care Trusts were treated or tested within  (a) 24 and  (b) 48 hours in the last period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: Data on patients seen within 24 hours are not routinely collected. The latest available data for patients seen within 48 hours, as at February 2006, are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Primary care trust (PCT)  Percentage of patients seen within 48 hours 
			 Central Derby 25 
			 Greater Derby 24 
			  Source:  Health Protection Agency quarterly survey of genitor-urinary medicine waiting times. 
		
	
	As part of the Government's drive to improve sexual health, all PCTs are working towards the target of 100 per cent. of genito-urinary (GU) attendees being seen within 48 hours by 2008. To help achieve this, sexual health and GU access have been identified as one of the top six national health service priorities in the NHS operating framework for 2006-07, and additional investment of £130 million over three years, was announced through the 'Choosing Health' White Paper.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned to explore the relationship between recreational drug use and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not commissioned any specific research to explore the relationship between recreational drug use and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department is taking to educate the public on the potential dangers of recreational drug use with particular reference to the risk of spreading sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

Caroline Flint: As part of the Government's commitment to educating and advising people regarding the harms associated with recreational drug use, we along with the Home Office have invested substantial funding in programmes such as FRANK, talktofrank.com, which where appropriate will include risks of spreading sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

Speech/Language Therapists

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the statement by the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr. Byrne), of 25 April 2006,  Official Report, column 549, how many of the 100 extra speech and language therapy staff in the North Central London strategic health authority area will be deployed to each borough.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, the following table shows the number of qualified speech and language therapy staff in the North Central London strategic health authority (SHA) area by national health service organisation in 1997 and 2005, which are the latest figures available.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: qualified speech and language therapy staff in North Central London SHA area by organisation as at 30 September each specified year 
			  headcount 
			1997  2005 
			 North Central London SHA Q05 199 301 
			 Barnet Primary Care Trust (PCT) 5A9 n/a 41 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust RRP n/a 3 
			 Enfield PCT 5C1 n/a 35 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital Children NHS Trust RP4 12 26 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 5C9 n/a 53 
			 Islington PCT 5K8 n/a 107 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust RAL 13 29 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust RRV 3 7 
			 Barnet Community Healthcare NHS Trust RCZ 31 n/a 
			 Camden and Islington Community Health Service NHS Trust RHB 87 n/a 
			 Enfield Community Care NHS Trust RHC 29 n/a 
			 Haringey Health Care NHS Trust RP2 23 n/a 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust RAP 1 n/a 
			 n/a = not applicable.   Note:  1997 total is estimated based on the 2002 organisational structure.   Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care, non-medical workforce census

Staff and Associate Specialist Group

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors in the staff and associate specialist group are employed in the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: At September 2005, there were 2,554 doctors who were associate specialists and 5,527 who were staff grades.

Student Midwives

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the total cost to her Department of training student midwives was in each year since 1997-98;
	(2)  how many student midwives there were in each academic year since 1997-98; how many student midwives were in receipt of a bursary in each year; and what the total cost to public funds was of bursaries to student midwives in each year;
	(3)  if she will list the institutions which offer training to student midwives.

Caroline Flint: The total cost of training student midwives for each year since 1997 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Total cost (£ million) 
			 1997-98 42.6 
			 1998-99 34.6 
			 1999-2000 45.6 
			 2000-01 51.4 
			 2001-02 58.7 
			 2002-03 59.0 
			 2003-04 65.8 
			 2004-05 79.4 
			 2005-06 82.2 
			  Notes:  1. 1997-98, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are forecasts (actual outturn was only collected from 1999 onwards)  2. Data in the above time series are not strictly comparable due to changes in the way data were collected  3. Average bursary costs for nurses and midwives added to tuition costs from 2000-01 onwards 
		
	
	Information on the number of student midwives in each academic year since 1997-98, the numbers in receipt of a bursary in each year and the total cost to public funds of bursaries to student midwives in each year are shown in the following table.
	Information on the institutions, which offer training to student midwives, is not held by the Department. The Nursing and Midwifery Council is responsible for approving education institutions to run midwifery training programmes.
	
		
			  NHS funded students on pre-registration midwifery courses in England: Academic years 1997-98 to 2005-06 
			   DipHE level( 1) 
			   Bursary holders  Nil award holders  Total students  Amount paid( 2 ) (£) 
			 1997 0 0 0 0 
			 1998 0 0 0 0 
			 1999 526 0 526 2,368,772 
			 2000 972 0 972 4,813,250 
			 2001 1,346 0 1,346 7,504,971 
			 2002 1,512 0 1,512 8,390,610 
			 2003 1,668 0 1,668 9,554,906 
			 2004 1,678 0 1,678 10,701,773 
			 2005(3) 1,662 0 1,662 8,166,945 
		
	
	
		
			   Degree level( 4) 
			   Bursary holders  Nil award holders  Total students  Amount paid( 2 ) (£) 
			 1997 91 11 102 305,914 
			 1998 324 38 362 1,029,368 
			 1999 616 74 690 2,076,577 
			 2000 918 90 1,008 3,252,160 
			 2001 1,305 100 1,405 5,034,305 
			 2002 1,567 87 1,654 6,418,221 
			 2003 1,776 97 1,873 7,461,214 
			 2004 1,941 116 2,057 9,202,204 
			 2005(3) 2,095 116 2,211 7,778,730 
		
	
	
		
			   All 
			   Bursary holders  Nil award holders  Total students  Amount paid( 2 ) (£) 
			 1997 91 11 102 305,914 
			 1998 324 38 362 1,029,368 
			 1999 1,142 74 1,216 4,445,349 
			 2000 1,890 90 1,980 8,065,410 
			 2001 2,651 100 2,751 12,539,276 
			 2002 3,079 87 3,166 14,808,831 
			 2003 3,444 97 3,541 17,016,120 
			 2004 3,619 116 3,735 19,903,977 
			 2005(3) 3,757 116 3,873 15,945,675 
			 (1) Phased uptake wef 1999. Prior to this HEI's responsible for administration of NHS Bursaries.  (2) Includes the Basic Award and all supplementary allowances. Excludes one-off payments eg re-imbursement of Practice Placement costs.  (3) Academic year to date.  (4) Phased uptake wef 1998. Prior to this LEA's primarily responsible for administration of HE Maintenance Grants under DfES (Mandatory Awards) Regulations.

Work Permits

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to issue final guidance for the NHS on work permits, categories and the detailed operation of the new immigration rules.

Rosie Winterton: Full guidance on work permits can be found on the Working in the UK's website at: www.workingintheuk.gov.uk.
	Details of the new requirements of the immigration rules are available on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's website at: www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.
	Full guidance on the implications of the changes for the medical community is available on the NHS Employers website at: www.nhsemployers.org.
	Departmental officials are discussing points for clarification with the British Medical Association and guidance will be updated where necessary.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Asylum Seekers (Legal Aid)

Damian Green: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to her answer to the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden of 6 July,  Official Report, column 489W, on asylum seekers (legal aid), what the cost was of legal aid for asylum and immigration cases in cash terms in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06.

Vera Baird: The cost of legal aid for immigration and asylum cases, including administration, is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 177 
			 2005-06 107

Court of Protection

Willie Rennie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people have died while their cases were being dealt with by the Court of Protection in each year since 1997.

Harriet Harman: The number of people who have died while under the jurisdiction of the Court of Protection pursuant to the proceedings of the Mental Health Act 1983 from 1999 to 2006 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1999 6,347 
			 2000 5,692 
			 2001 5,589 
			 2002 5,055 
			 2003 4,946 
			 2004 4,778 
			 2005 5,234 
			 2006 1,911 
		
	
	The court only holds records for six years following the end of its involvement in the client's case and it is not therefore possible to provide reliable data prior to this period. The court does not hold reliable information on the number of donors who have died while under its jurisdiction pursuant to the proceedings of the Enduring Power of Attorney Act 1985.

Freedom of Information

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many representations she has received about her Department's handling of Freedom of Information requests.

Vera Baird: Complaints about the Department's handling of Freedom of Information are dealt with under the Department's internal review procedures. Details of internal reviews handled by my Department in 2005 will be published in the annual report on Freedom of Information which will be published shortly.

Freedom of Information

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what criteria the Government used to identify and classify public authorities when drawing up Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Vera Baird: Schedule One to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 now lists the majority of bodies and offices which are subject to the Act.
	In drawing up Schedule 1, central and local government bodies, the health, police and education sectors were largely listed by generic descriptions, the majority of which refer to the statutory basis for those bodies' functions.
	Parts Six and Seven of the Schedule list "other public bodies and offices" in England and Wales, and in Northern Ireland respectively.
	The bodies and offices in these Parts have been identified as meeting the two criteria set out in section 4 of the Act, namely:
	that the body or office was established by virtue of Her Majesty's prerogative, by an enactment or subordinate legislation, or in any other way by a Minister of the Crown, a government department, or the National Assembly for Wales;
	that the body or office is wholly or partly constituted by appointment made by the Crown, a Minister, a government department or the National Assembly for Wales.
	In drawing up this Schedule, departments were asked to identify the bodies for which they were responsible which met these criteria. Many of these were already to be found in Schedule 2 to the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1976 (as amended), and hence were already subject to the non-statutory Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
	The Secretary of State has a discretionary power to amend Parts 6 and 7 of the Schedule to add new bodies and offices which meet the necessary criteria, and remove references to bodies which have ceased to do so, or which no longer exist. Amending Orders of this kind are made annually.

Freedom of Information

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the timetable is for the Secretary of State's review of the bodies covered by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Vera Baird: Bodies covered by the Act are listed in Schedule 1 to the Act. The list can be amended by Order under section 4 of the Act.
	Orders are made annually to ensure that the Schedule is up to date by adding references to new bodies which meet the necessary criteria for inclusion, and removing references to bodies which have ceased to exist, or which no longer meet the criteria.
	New bodies created by statute are also frequently added to the Schedule by the same legislation which created the body.
	The Secretary of State also has a discretionary power under section 5 of the Act to designate as public authorities those private organisations which appear to him to be performing functions of a public nature.
	The Secretary of State has taken the view that it would be most appropriate to learn the lessons of FOI implementation in the public sector before extending application of the Act to private bodies in this way.

Human Rights

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the operation in England and Wales of  (a) Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 and  (b) Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966.

Vera Baird: Neither the Universal Declaration of Human Rights nor the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights has direct legal effect in the United Kingdom. However, the right to life is protected by Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the abolition of the death penalty has been most recently confirmed by the Thirteenth Protocol to the Convention. These are both given further effect in the United Kingdom by the Human Rights Act 1998.

Legal Aid

David Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total cost of legal aid for supporting prisoners appealing parole board decisions was in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: The total cost of legal aid for supporting prisoners appealing parole board decisions in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02(1) 209,753 
			 2002-03 791,084 
			 2003-04 1,176,468 
			 2004-05 2,156,443 
			 2005-06 2,400,821 
			 (1) During the first year of contracting (2001-02) cases were also paid under the previous regime for residual work. Such expenditure is not included in the figures, as it cannot be separately identified.

National Security Appeals Panel

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether any decisions of the National Security Appeals Panel under section 28 of the Data Protection Act 1998 have been the subject of judicial review; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: One decision on the National Security Appeals Panel under Section 28 of the Data Protection Act 1998 is subject to a Judicial Review. The proceedings are subject to a Court Order which provides that
	"no information is to be given to anyone who is not a party to these proceedings which may identify the parties to or the subject matter of the claim without the leave of a judge."

Portland PR

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what meetings officials in her Department have had with representatives of the public relations company Portland PR; what contracts Portland PR has with her Department and agencies for which she has responsibility; and what the nature of the contract is in each case.

Vera Baird: My Department does not maintain a central list of such meetings. Civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and business delivery. All such meetings are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Code and Guidance for civil servants on contacts with lobbyists and people outside Government.
	Neither DCA nor its agencies has any contracts with Portland PR.

Repossessions

Richard Spring: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many court orders have been issued for the repossession of homes in West Suffolk in each of the past five years.

Harriet Harman: Although figures for the West Suffolk constituency are not available, the table shows the number of mortgage possession orders made at Bury St. Edmunds county court in the last five years. This is the only such court in the West Suffolk constituency area.
	The civil procedure rules provide that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, Bury St. Edmunds county court covers areas other than West Suffolk and therefore not all possession actions entered in that court necessarily relate to the West Suffolk area.
	These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
	
		
			  Number of mortgage( 1)  possession orders made at Bury St. Edmunds county court, 2001-05 
			   Possession orders made 
			 2001 35 
			 2002 18 
			 2003 48 
			 2004 47 
			 2005 99 
			 1 Local authority and private (2) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.

Repossessions

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many court orders have been issued for the repossession of homes in Tamworth constituency in each of the past five years.

Harriet Harman: The following table shows the number of mortgage possession orders made at Tamworth county court in the last five years.
	The civil procedure rules provide that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, Tamworth county court covers areas other than Tamworth itself, and therefore not all possession actions entered in that court necessarily relate to the Tamworth constituency.
	These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
	
		
			  Number of mortgage( 1)  possession orders made at Tamworth county court, 2001-05 
			   Possession orders made( 2) 
			 2001 46 
			 2002 35 
			 2003 35 
			 2004 76 
			 2005 97 
			 (1) Local authority and private (2 )The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply fora warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Advertising

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent on advertising by his Department in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not hold a separate advertising budget; the majority of advertising relates to recruitment advertising in newspapers and journals; for the last three calendar years 2003-05 this was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003 703,012 
			 2004 594,769 
			 2005 307,359 
		
	
	DFID does not directly fund advertising by non-departmental public bodies, Executive agencies or independent statutory bodies. Figures for 2006 have yet to be finalised.

Departmental Budget

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the budget for his Department remained unspent in the last financial year.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development forecasts an under spend for the financial year 2005-06 of £79.879 million from a budget of £4,567.823 million. This is a provisional figure based on the estimated outturn data published in the annual report; the final under spend is likely to be significantly lower.

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effects on  (a) the delivery of the UK's humanitarian aid programme and  (b) UK emergency preparedness of the Respond Programme within the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security Initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has found that the Respond Programme has made a useful contribution to map information and therefore to humanitarian response, specifically in the Pakistan earthquake and generally in global disaster monitoring.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has the policy lead for the Government on the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security Initiative (GMES). DEFRA takes a close interest in all aspects of GMES, including the Respond Programme, and will continue to engage with it and with the European Commission, the European Space Agency and other UK Government Departments.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what amendments have been made to the International Development Act 2002.

Hilary Benn: A number of amendments have been made to the International Development Act 2002.
	Section 9, Subsection (4) has been amended as follows: in para (b) the words "other than the National Assembly for Wales" in square brackets were inserted by SI 2005/3225, art 6(2), Sch 2, Pt 1, para 6(1).
	Schedule 1 has been amended as follows:
	Entry "Health Protection Agency" was inserted by the Health Protection Agency Act 2004, s 11(1), Sch 3, para 16
	Entry "An NHS foundation trust" was inserted by the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards)Act 2003, s 34, Sch 4, paras 121, 122.
	Entry "Public Health Laboratory Service Board" (omitted) was repealed by the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003, ss 190(2), 196, Sch 13,para 11, Sch 14, Pt 7.
	Entry "A Strategic Health Authority" was inserted by SI 2002/2469, reg 4, Sch 1, Pt 1, para 31.
	Entry "The National Assembly for Wales" was substitutedfor entry "Wales Tourist Board" as originally enacted, bySI 2005/3225, art 6(2), Sch 2, Pt 1, para 6(2).
	Schedule 3 has been amended as follows:
	Para 3: sub-para (3) was repealed by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, s 174(2), Sch 17, Pt 2;
	Para 10 was repealed by the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, s 724(1), Sch 8, Pt1;
	Para 11: sub-para (3) was repealed by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, s 174(2), Sch 17, Pt 2;
	Para 12: sub-para (3) was repealed by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, s 174(2), Sch 17, Pt 2.

Maternal Health

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps are being taken by his Department to improve its performance on maternal health;
	(2)  if he will make maternal health a tracker for his Department to monitor its progress in supporting health systems in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's approach to improving maternal health is outlined in our 2004 strategy document "Reducing maternal deaths: evidence and action: First Progress Report". This sets out four priority areas for supporting better maternal health; specifically advocacy, scaling-up and improving services, helping remove barriers to access, and research to develop better technologies and policies.
	We have recently reviewed our performance; copies of our Progress Report have been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses. The report notes that DFID spending on reducing maternal mortality (together with reproductive health services) has increased by 41.3 per cent. over the past three years, and we are committed to continuing to increase our support to maternal health.
	But we still need to see more governments give greater priority to this issue. Some progress has been made in Asia—for example in Nepal, China, Vietnam and Indonesia. In many parts of Africa, however, weak health services, conflict and HIV have combined to constrain overall progress. Improving this situation will require long term and sustained help.
	The Progress Report makes several recommendations, one of which is to use maternal mortality as an indicator through which to track progress in health systems strengthening. Functioning health systems are essential in seeing improvements in maternal health, and we will indeed wish to monitor maternal health outcomes as we scale up our support to basis health services.

Palestinian Ministry of Health

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funds available to the Palestinian Ministry of Health; and what action he is taking in this regard.

Hilary Benn: In 2005, the Ministry of Health incurred expenditures of US$155 million. According to the World Health Organisation, these expenditures were covered by international aid (23 per cent.), domestic taxation (25-29 per cent.) and clearance revenues from Israel (42-46 per cent.).
	Following the appointment of the Hamas-led Government and its failure to comply with the Quartet's conditions of renouncing violence, recognising Israel and accepting previous international agreements, all three sources of funds have declined. We are aware of reports that the Palestinian Ministry of Health does not have sufficient funds to purchase vital supplies and pay its staff. On 9 May, the Quartet invited the European Union to design a temporary international funding mechanism to help meet Palestinian basic needs. We are working closely with the European Commission to take this forward as quickly as possible, with a focus on direct funding of health sector expenditures.

Portland PR

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what meetings officials in his Department have had with representatives of the public relations company Portland PR; what contracts Portland PR has with his Department and agencies for which he has responsibility; and what the nature of the contract is in each case.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not maintain a central list of such meetings. Civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and business delivery. All such meetings are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Code and Guidance for civil servants on contracts with lobbyists and people outside Government. DFID have no contracts with Portland PR.

Private Office Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been paid in  (a) salary,  (b) travelling expenses,  (c) subsistence allowance and  (d) removal expenses to special advisers in his private office in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each payband. For information relating to the last financial year I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 158-61WS.
	Information on special advisers for this financial year is currently being collected and will be published in the normal way when it is ready.
	All official travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
	Other costs are not held centrally and could be obtained only by incurring a disproportionate cost.

Promotion Boards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many promotion boards have been held in his Department in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: Since 2003, the Department for International Development (DFID) has held annual grade specific promotion boards for all grades.
	This has resulted in six separate promotion boards each year.
	Prior to 2003, promotion below the Senior Civil Service (SCS) was on a post by post basis and we do not hold a consolidated record of the number of boards held.

Public Consultations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last year; and what the cost was  (a) in total and  (b) of each consultation.

Gareth Thomas: Over the year 2005 the Department for International Development undertook six formal public consultations in order to inform the Department's policy development. Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Racial Abuse

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many complaints of racial abuse have  (a) been investigated and  (b) upheld in his Department in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID did not hold a central record of discipline and grievance cases until 1 October 2004. We have no record of any complaint of racial abuse in the last five years.

St. Helena

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will assess the merits of using amphibian aircraft to service the island of St. Helena in preference to the construction of a new airport.

Gareth Thomas: The merits of using amphibious aircraft to service the island of St. Helena were assessed as part of the 2004-05 feasibility study. This option was rejected for a number of reasons. There are no civilian seaplanes currently in operation that could provide a reliable service in the sea conditions that exist in St. Helena, where there is no shelter from the South Atlantic swells that regularly prevent cruise ship passengers from disembarking. Even if it were possible to make an acceptable safety case to the regulator for this type of operation, ticket prices would be high and unaffordable to the local population, and long flight times would discourage tourism.
	St. Helena requires reliable, affordable access that islanders and tourists alike can depend upon if it is to build its economy and work towards its own goal of financial self-sufficiency. Construction of an airport that supports scheduled flights from a recognised international hub is the best and, in the long term, most cost effective way of achieving this.

Staff Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff surveys have been conducted in his Department in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has undertaken two staff surveys of all staff over the last three financial years and is planning a third in 2006.
	2004—Stress Audit
	2005—Management Survey
	2006—Management Survey (pending)

Sudan

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the situation of women in Sudan.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 16 May 2006
	DFID and other development partners assessed the situation of women in Sudan as part of the Joint Assessment Mission (JAM), which reported last year. Women have a vital role to play in the recovery and development of Sudan, following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and more recently the Darfur Peace Agreement. However, women are marginalised and poorly represented across most of society and the overall challenge is to promote gender equality and empowerment to support progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. DFID promotes the interests of women within all its programmes and we are supporting a range of initiatives in governance and rule of law; gender based violence; capacity building; and basic social services where women stand to benefit.
	The UK Government has also funded the Khartoum Centre for Human Rights and the Sudanese Organisation Against Torture to implement a national campaign calling for the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). We have also supported a media campaign conducted by the UN Mission on Gender Based Violence, part of which drew attention to the deplorable crimes of rape and sexual violence in Darfur. DFID continues to assess and monitor the situation of women in Sudan, particularly in Darfur, as part of the international response. The Government of Sudan has formulated an action plan to eliminate violence against women and we continue to press for its prompt and effective implementation.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Climate Change

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on recent developments in the international debate on climate change.

Ian Pearson: In December 2005 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol agreed to begin negotiations on shaping a plan on climate change action for the post-2012 period. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change parties also agreed to launch a dialogue on action to implement the Convention. The first discussions on these decisions are taking place this week in Bonn.

Climate Change

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of methane emissions from trees and other plants.

Ian Pearson: Following publication of a study suggesting that trees and other plants may be a source of methane emissions, my Department assessed available scientific literature and sought expert opinion on this issue. This showed that, even if the findings of the study are confirmed, the possible methane source would offset no more than a few percent. of the carbon taken up by growing forests. Therefore, the climate change benefits provided by forests through storage of carbon far outweigh their possible contribution to global warming through methane emissions.

Coastal Access

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has commissioned into increasing public access to coastal areas.

Barry Gardiner: Research is in hand to assess current usage and demand for costal access, as well as the economic social and environmental costs and benefits of different options for improvements. A public consultation setting out the facts and ways to increase access to the English coast will be issued in October 2006.

Single Farm Payments

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress the Rural Payments Agency has made in validating entitlement letters for single farm payments for 2005.

David Miliband: By 15 May some 71,000 out of 120,000 applicants had entitlement statements which have been issued in respect of fully validated claims. Claimants who originally received a provisional statement are being sent a confirmatory Statement once their claim has been fully validated.

Single Farm Payments

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an application to the European Union to further delay the payment of single farm payments until October 2006.

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has asked the European Commission for an extension to the UK deadline for payments under the Single Payments Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the EU on the extension of the Single Farm Payment.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 11 May 2006
	85 per cent. of the £1,500 million of expected payments for the 2005 SPS scheme year have been distributed. The residual element of payments will be made as soon as possible to those who have received a partial payment, and those who to date have not received either full or partial payment will be dealt with thereafter. Against that background and in order to safeguard the interests of UK taxpayers, a request was made last month to the European Commission to extend the EU regulatory payment window until 15 October 2006. This would ensure that any farmer whose claim remained outstanding as at 1 July should not be denied payment under the scheme.

Single Farm Payments

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding the Government holds for distribution to farmers in single farm payments.

Barry Gardiner: The Government makes payments under the single payments scheme from the funding voted annually by parliament and is then reimbursed from the Common Agricultural Policy administered by the European Commission.
	The payments made are based on the National Ceilings established for each member state in accordance with the relevant EC regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No 319/2006 of 20th February 2006).

Single Farm Payments

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average waiting time was for farmers who are entitled to single farm payment scheme payments from the Rural Payments Agency in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The regulatory payment window for the 2005 single payment scheme (SPS) runs from 1 December 2005 to 30 June 2006. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) announced in January 2005 that payments were unlikely to start until February 2006.
	RPA met this target, with first payments made from 20 February 2006. By close of business on 4 May 2006 over 58,000 claims, representing 48.5 per cent. of the population, had been fully paid.
	RPA has now made over 31,000 partial payments to claimants. 31,000 are not included in the partial payments system; 26,000 because their claim amounted to less than 1,000 Euro; and 5,000 because of a diverse range of other factors which made their cases particularly complex. Making full payments to this group of 5,000 will now be given the highest priority by the Rural Payments Agency.
	The positive action being taken by RPA to make full and partial payments is set out in my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State's written statement on 9 May 2006.

Single Farm Payments

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many telephone calls have been made to the Rural Payments Agency's Customer Service Centre on or since 13 April 2006 to report the non-receipt of claim forms for the 2006-07 single payments scheme.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency's (RPA) Customer Service Centre (CSC) received 76,000 telephone calls between 13 April and 5 May 2006.
	The CSC does not keep separate statistics relating to total telephone calls from customers specifically relating to the non-receipt of claim forms.

Single Farm Payments

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single farm payments in  (a) Tamworth constituency and  (b) Staffordshire have (i) been cancelled, (ii) yet to be cancelled and (iii) been invalidated.

Barry Gardiner: 1,171 applications to the single payment scheme 2005 were rejected due to  (a) an incomplete application or  (b) being received after the final deadline of 10 June 2005.
	The single payment scheme is not administered on a regional basis; therefore the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) does not hold information specific to Tamworth constituency or Staffordshire.

Municipal Incinerators

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many municipal incinerators he expects to be commissioned in the next five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of new incinerators built will depend on the technologies and scale of facilities chosen by local authorities. We estimate that waste to energy of all types will account for about 25 per cent. of municipal waste by 2020, compared to 9 per cent. now, which is less than forecast in 2000 due to our better than expected performance on recycling.

Gum Litter

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what resources his Department has allocated to local authorities selected to participate in the campaign to reduce gum litter.

Ben Bradshaw: The Chewing Gum Action Group has provided £600,000 of funding towards the 15 local authority campaigns, the first of which began last week.
	The funding has been divided between each local authority based on the advertising space available in the geographical area of the campaign, and the cost of advertising in that specific area.

Commercial Whaling

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking towards preventing Japan and other whaling nations from overturning the moratorium on commercial whaling at the forthcoming International Whaling Convention meeting.

Ben Bradshaw: Although Japan and her allies may command a simple majority at the next annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission this is insufficient to overturn the moratorium on commercial whaling. Such matters can be agreed only if 75 per cent. of those present and voting vote in favour of the motion.

Canoeing

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to improve access for canoeists to the rivers of England.

Barry Gardiner: Although our research shows that overall supply meets demand, there is some unmet demand for white water and canoe touring. The Environment Agency is currently working to identify what is needed and where, and to develop best-practice access agreements for canoeists on key stretches of English water.

Transport (Environmental Impact)

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Department for Transport on the environmental impact of transport.

Ian Pearson: There are regular discussions with the ministerial team in the Department for Transport on a range of issues, including the environmental impact of transport.

Agricultural Support

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much EU funding the Government have received but not distributed to farmers in the last two full financial years.

Barry Gardiner: The funding of payments to farmers is provided by HM Treasury in the first instance and then a claim is submitted to the European Commission for the expenditure occurred after the event. Therefore the reimbursement from the European Commission is received after payments have been made to the farmers.
	So at no point in time are there any funds received from the European Commission that have not been distributed to farmers.

Children's Services

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many nursery and crèche places are provided for people working in his Department; what charges are made for the provision of such services; and what other facilities are provided for the children of employees of his Department.

Barry Gardiner: Defra is committed to childcare support both for the benefit of its staff but also as an essential element of addressing the Departmental business need Defra's childcare provision set out in the attached table.
	Defra employees are able to use a salary sacrifice scheme to reduce their childcare costs by up to £243 per month

Consultations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the consultations undertaken by his Department in the last 12 months; how many people were directly consulted in each case; how many responses were received to each consultation; what his estimate is of the cost to business of responding to those consultations; and on what assumptions his estimate is based.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 16 May 2006
	In the calendar year 2005 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs undertook 100 formal consultations. Details of the consultations are available on the Department's website:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult.asp
	Information on the total cost of all consultations, number of people directly consulted, number of responses received, and cost to the business in responding to consultations, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Consultations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last year; and what the cost was  (a) in total and  (b) of each consultation.

Barry Gardiner: In the calendar year 2005 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs undertook 100 formal consultations. Details of the consultations are available on the Department's website:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult.asp
	Information on the total cost of all consultations and cost of individual consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much champagne was bought for official use by his predecessor and Ministers in his Department in  (a) 2003-04 and  (b) 2004-05; and at what cost.

Barry Gardiner: None.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints of racial abuse have been  (a) investigated and  (b) upheld in his Department in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The figures for this information are based on the last five financial years. The figures relate to core Defra and the following agencies: PSD, CSL, VMD, CEFAS, and SVS.
	Under Defra's formal equal opportunities complaints procedures, records indicate that between April 2001 and March 2002 there was one case of bullying and racial discrimination, which was investigated, but not upheld.
	Between April 2002 and March 2006 there were no formal cases of racial abuse or racial discrimination.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff surveys have been conducted in his Department in each of the last three years.

Barry Gardiner: There have been two full staff surveys conducted in Defra in the last three years.
	Full census surveys, whereby all staff in the core-Department are invited to complete the questionnaire, are conducted at 18-month intervals. The last two were carried out in January 2004 and July 2005. The next full census survey is due in January 2007.
	At quarterly intervals between the full surveys, Defra conducts "Pulse" surveys, where a random sample of staff are invited to complete the survey. This is done to enable senior Defra management to keep a closer eye on results of questions and to track trends.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many air miles have been accrued by senior civil servants in his Department on official business in each of the last three years; and how they were used.

Barry Gardiner: Central rules laid down by the Cabinet Office state that civil servants are not able to use any air miles that accrue to them through official travel on a personal basis. Any air miles must therefore be recycled for further official use or forgone. These rules are laid down on the staff Intranet.
	The Department has no records of the number of air miles accrued as staff book their own travel through Defra's accredited agents and air miles are issued on an individual basis.

Equal Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are undertaken within his Department to ensure that women are obtaining equal pay to men doing work of equal value.

Barry Gardiner: In line with Cabinet Office guidelines, introduced in 2003, central Government Departments are required to conduct an Equal Pay Review at least once every 3 years.
	Defra conducted and completed its first review back in 2003 and submitted this together with an action plan to Cabinet Office in April 2003. The review covered core-Defra and two of its agencies—Pesticides Safety Directorate and Veterinary Medicines Directorate—for which the core-department has pay remit responsibility.
	The review found that there were no significant pay gaps within the department, provided that Defra's multi-year pay settlement was fully rolled out for future years up to and including 2005-06. The final year of the settlement was rolled out last year and runs until the end of June 2006.
	Defra is now in the process of conducting a second Equal Pay Review. This will cover core-Defra and six of its agencies: Pesticides Safety Directorate, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, State Veterinary Service, Rural Development Service, Marine Fisheries Agency and Government Decontamination Service. It will examine whether the objectives of the multi-year pay settlement and the implications of the of Action Plan from the previous review have been have been met in full.
	The position with regard to Defra's agencies is as follows:
	 Rural Payments Agency
	The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) submitted an Equal Pay Review and action plan to Cabinet Office in 2003 in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines. This Review was completed in March 2004 and found that there were no significant pay gaps as a result of gender difference. The results were subsequently discussed with RPA's Trade Union Side and a summary of proposed actions was agreed, which included reviewing Allowances paid to specialist staff to ensure no differences relating to gender existed in these additions to pay; improving levels of ethic and disability recording; and carrying out a further comprehensive Equal Pay Review in 2006, once RPA had completed its restructuring. These actions are ongoing and the full Review is now scheduled for 2007, when RPA is projected to reach its organisational 'steady state'.
	 Central Science Laboratory
	The Central Science Laboratory completed its Equal Pay Review in April 2003 and the resultant action plan was submitted to the Cabinet Office in May 2003. No significant pay gaps were identified as a result of gender difference and subsequent pay settlements have been subject to equality-proofing. In 2005 CSL concluded a three year pay deal that invests in both the shortening of pay ranges and the delivery of an effective pay progression system to further ensure that gender related pay gaps do not emerge in the future.
	 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
	In line with Cabinet office guidance, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) completed an Equal Pay Review and submitted this together with an action plan to Cabinet Office in April 2003.
	The review found that there were no significant pay gaps as a result of gender difference. There were individual problems as a legacy from earlier pay arrangements; these were addressed in the action plan.
	The action plan was taken forward as part of CEFAS' multi-year pay deal (April 2005-March 2008). The deal was accepted through union ballots. Year two of the deal was implemented in April 2006.
	 Veterinary Laboratories Agency
	The Veterinary Laboratories Agency completed its Equal Pay review in April 2003 and the resultant action plan was submitted to cabinet office in May 2003. The review found that there were no significant pay gaps as a result of gender difference, but the issues continue to be the subject of consultation with the Trade unions. Subsequent pay awards have been subject to equality checks and a further review will be undertaken in 2006.

Farming

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of farmers who have left the agricultural sector in Suffolk in each of the past five years.

Barry Gardiner: Figures from the Agricultural and Horticultural Survey indicate labour on agricultural holdings in June each year. These figures therefore show net change only in the number of farmers.
	
		
			  Labour on agricultural holdings in June each year 
			   Number of full and part time farmers in Suffolk  Net change 
			 2001 5,830 — 
			 2002 5,637 -193 
			 2003 5,498 -139 
			 2004 5,699 +201 
			 2005 5,633 -66 
			  Notes: 1. Number of farmers includes partners, directors and spouses (if working on the holding). 2. Includes estimates for minor holdings.  3. Estimates have been made to non-respondents.  Source:  June Agricultural Survey

Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total projected cost is of the Farming Connect Cumbria scheme over the scheme's lifetime; how much has been allocated to the scheme by his Department; how much has been provided by other sources, broken down by source; how much has been spent by the scheme; how much has been  (a) allocated for and  (b) spent on grants to improve agricultural performance; how many grants have been allocated under the scheme; how much was allocated for each grant; what the projected costs are of administration over the lifetime of the scheme; how much has been spent on administration; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 15 May 2006
	I understand that Farming Connect is administered by Cumbria rural enterprise agency on behalf of Rural Regeneration Cumbria (RRC), using funding provided by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). There is no Defra funding involved and no involvement by Defra or its agencies in running the scheme. Defra does not therefore hold the information requested, which the hon. Member should seek directly from Rural Regeneration Cumbria and/or the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

Farming

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many registered farms there are in each Somerset constituency.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) understands that this question relates to customers submitting claims under the single payment scheme with farms in Somerset.
	RPA does not hold details of constituency boundaries within its customer register but has commissioned a report which will show the number of customers in Somerset as a whole. At present all available IT resources are dedicated to getting SPS payments to customers, so this report may take some months to obtain while higher priority work is carried out.

Flood Prevention

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding has been allocated to Wessex Flood Defence Committee in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency is required to arrange for its flood defence functions, except for certain financial ones, to be carried out by Regional Flood Defence Committees.
	I understand from the Environment Agency that the total of DEFRA grant and levies on local authorities for the area of the Wessex Regional Flood Defence Committee was £23.2 million in 2002-03, £27.2 million in 2003-04, and £39.1 million in 2004-05. Other funding for specific projects is obtained from, for example, direct beneficiaries and developers.

Gamebirds

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the percentage of gamebirds shot on commercial shooting estates for human consumption in 2005-06.

Barry Gardiner: No such estimate has been made.
	There are no compulsory government schemes collecting national statistics on the number of gamebirds shot for human consumption.

Hunting Act

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the HuntingAct 2004 in preventing wild animals being  (a) hunted and  (b) killed by dogs.

Barry Gardiner: The Government are satisfied with the operation of the Hunting Act 2004, which, except where carried out in accordance with the tightly-drawn exemptions set out in the Act, bans all hunting of wild mammals with dogs. DEFRA has not instituted specific arrangements to monitor the activities of individual hunts, but they are subject to the law and liable to prosecution if they breach the provisions of the Act.

Institute for Grassland and Environmental Research

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the socio-economic implications of the decision to reduce financial support for the Institute for Grassland and Environmental Research.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 8 May 2006
	Financial support is given to the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) by its parent Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), through an annual core strategic grant. IGER may also secure BBSRC funding via other funding routes. Defra invests at IGER through a range of research contracts to meet specific research requirements. Some are placed with IGER as preferred supplier while others are won by IGER through open competition. In addition, IGER also undertakes research for consortia of which Defra is one of a number of sponsors, for example through LINK programmes.
	Defra has made no direct assessment of the socio-economic implications of its decision to refocus research priorities into new areas and the effect this will have on the value of new contracts to the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER).
	IGER remains a very important research partner for Defra in the development and delivery of our policy objectives. This is reflected in the department's continuing significant investment at IGER, where we are already committed to investing around £5 million in research programmes in 2006-07. Further project proposals are under negotiation and we anticipate the Department's final commitment will be nearer £5.5 million, excluding our contributions to relevant LINK project consortia. By comparison, Defra's research investment at IGER in 2005-06 was approximately £5.8 million, excluding LINK projects.

Institute for Grassland and Environmental Research

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions  (a) he and  (b) his ministerial colleagues have had with (i) the Welsh Assembly Government and (ii) the Secretary of State for Wales on the socio-economic impact of the decision to reduce financial support for the Institute for Grassland and Environmental Research.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The Noble Lord Bach, had been in contact with the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Environment Planning and Countryside about the department's decision to refocus research priorities into new areas and the effect this will have on the value of new contracts to the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER).
	Defra officials will continue to involve Welsh Assembly Government officials in discussions and decisions across the whole of Defra's research portfolio, not just those affecting IGER. Defra officials have also been in contact with the Wales Office regarding IGER.

Market Towns

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the market towns initiative.

Barry Gardiner: A significant amount of funding was delivered through the Market Towns Initiative. The Countryside Agency carried out a full assessment and concluded that it delivered a wide range of benefits for market towns and their hinterlands.
	Responsibility for rural regeneration in market towns is now devolved to Regional Development Agencies, to whom Defra contributes £73 million a year.

Nitrates Directive

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had on the implementation of the nitrates directive in the UK;
	(2)  what discussions he has had on the effect of the implementation of the nitrates directive on the farming industry  (a) in East Anglia and  (b) elsewhere in the UK.

Ian Pearson: The Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) action programme of measures for England is now under the four yearly review required by the directive and a public consultation will be issued shortly.
	As part of the review, Defra has held a series of regional farmers' workshops (including in East Anglia) to discuss and develop proposals for the revised measures and to seek their views on potential impacts.
	In addition, there has been ongoing dialogue with farming industry representatives, including the national farmers union, country land and business association and the tenant farmers association. That dialogue is continuing, as well as a dialogue with a wider stakeholder audience.

Nitrates Directive

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what alternatives to the use of damaging fertilizers and pesticides have been considered in order to comply with the nitrates directive.

Ian Pearson: The main thrust of the directive is to control the application of nitrogen-containing material to land. Compliance is achieved through requiring farmers to apply good practice measures and nutrient management techniques and setting limits on the amount and times when fertilisers may be spread on the land. Fertilisers only cause damage to land when they are applied in excess.
	Compliance with the directive encourages the use of organic fertiliser (i.e. manure) as opposed to chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Reducing Obesity

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for  (a) Health and  (b) Education and Skills about reducing obesity in (i) schools and (ii) young people; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: I have regular contact with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health and for Education and Skills on a range of issues including obesity.
	In addition, my officials have discussed healthy eating, including obesity, with colleagues in the Department For Education and Skills and the Department of Health in the context of the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI). One of the objectives for this Initiative is to increase the consumption of healthy and nutritious food.
	Officials from both Departments are represented on the Food Procurement Implementation Group established by Defra to oversee the delivery of the PSFPI. They have also provided advice for the publication "Sausage and Mash and Sustainability", which is designed to raise awareness on obesity and other issues.
	Further information, including this publication, is available on the Defra website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/sustain/procurement/awareness.htm

Regional Development Agencies

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding the Department allocated to regional development agencies in each year since 2000-01.

Barry Gardiner: Since April 2002, the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have been financed through a Single Programme budget (the "Single Pot"). This consists of money from various Departments (DTI, DCLG, DfES, Defra, DCMS and UKTI).
	The Defra contributions to the Regional Development Agencies Single Pot are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial Year  Defra contribution to RDA Single Pot  (£ million) 
			 2002-03 41 
			 2003-04 41 
			 2004-05 46 
			 2005-06 77 
			 2006-07 85 
		
	
	As Defra was created in June 2001, inheriting separate programme budgets and commitments from the former DETR and MAFF, figures for 2000-01 and 2001-02 are not included in the table.
	The significant increase in Defra funding to RDAs from 2005 is the result primarily of the transfer of additional funding from the Countryside Agency (£21 million per annum between 2005-06 and 2007-08); and funding for RDA regional co-ordination of the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste Programme (£5 million in 2005-06 and £12 million in 2006-07).

Supermarkets

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the environmental impact of supermarkets and the food industry; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Food Industry Sustainability Strategy published last month assesses the environmental impacts of the food industry, including the supermarkets, and sets out a series of targets to reduce them. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today invited supermarket representatives to talks on this and other related issues.

Tallow

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why the tallow ban was reversed; when the EU study which may redefine tallow as a fuel is expected to report; and what dispensation has been sought from the EU in the meantime.

Ian Pearson: There has been no tallow ban. Installations may burn tallow provided they comply with regulatory requirements. If, as is usually the case, the tallow is waste within the definition given in the EU Waste Framework Directive, the regulatory requirements include one for a permit issued under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000 incorporating the requirements of the EU Waste Incineration Directive (WID).
	In response to representations by HM Government, the European Commission has set up a study to help establish whether the WID controls are proportionate and necessary to the protection of the environment. The study is expected to report by the autumn, and the Government are pressing the Commission for the study to be completed as soon as possible.
	I have encouraged the industry, meanwhile, to enter into technical discussions with the environmental regulators (the Environment Agency or, for smaller plants, local authorities), to determine how individual plants might move over time to comply with the WID if the study were to conclude that the WID controls are appropriate.
	The study is not about whether waste tallow is a fuel—it manifestly is a fuel. However, the proposed Directive on Waste currently under negotiation in the EU contains a provision under which a technical committee could determine the point at which specified waste materials cease to be waste. The European Commission has already identified waste tallow used as fuel as a candidate for this procedure if it is included in the finalised Directive.

Waste Treatment

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from the Institute of Civil Engineers on the potential impact on climate change of improving the way in which waste is treated; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The way in which waste is managed makes a significant contribution to UK emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly methane emissions released from landfill. Forms of waste management such as recycling or incineration with energy recovery can result in a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.
	In January 2006, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) published a report entitled "The Case for a Resource Management Strategy". Defra's "Review of England's Waste Strategy-A Consultation Document" agrees that more emphasis needs to be put on using waste as a resource and that reducing greenhouse gas emissions should be a major driver behind the revised waste strategy.
	Defra is currently collating responses received from the consultation, which closed on 9 May. Any representations made by ICE will be considered by the Department.
	Defra officials recently met with ICE and the Institute of Mechanical Engineers to discuss ways in which they could contribute towards Defra's development of waste policy. These discussions are ongoing.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which UK companies undertake animal testing.

Joan Ryan: I am unable to provide you with the information requested. The identities of organisations and individuals licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are not published in any form by the Home Office.
	The activities of a small number of animal rights extremists make it necessary to protect establishments and individuals licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, their staff, and others associated with them, from potential harassment and harm. In addition, section 24 of the 1986 Act, which prohibits the disclosure by Home Office Ministers and officials of confidential information relating to the use of animals in scientific procedures other than in the discharge of their functions under the 1986 Act, prevents the disclosure of information about individual establishments licensed under the Act that has been provided in confidence.
	Although there is a need to inform the public debate about the use of animals for experimental or other scientific purposes, I do not believe it would be in the public interest to disclose information that might increase the risk of individuals, establishments or their suppliers being subjected to violence and intimidation.

Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of the project licences granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 that were in force in Scotland at the end of 2004 were in  (a) mild,  (b) moderate,  (c) substantial and  (d) unclassified severity bandings;
	(2)  what proportion of regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 carried out in Scotland in 2004 were conducted without any form of anaesthesia;
	(3)  how many infringements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were recorded in Scotland at the end of 2004; and how many prosecutions resulted;
	(4)  how many  (a) genetically modified animals and  (b) animals with a harmful genetic defect were used in regulated procedures conducted in Scotland under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2004;
	(5)  what proportion of the regulated procedures conducted in Scotland under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2004 were carried out for  (a) fundamental and applied studies other than toxicology and  (b) toxicity tests or other safety and efficacy evaluation;
	(6)  how many project licences were granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2004, in respect of work to be carried out in Scotland; and how many such project licences were in force at the end of 2004;
	(7)  how many places in Scotland were designated as  (a) a supplying establishment,  (b) a breeding establishment and  (c) a scientific procedure establishment under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at the end of 2004.

Joan Ryan: Comprehensive statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain of animals carried out under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are published annually. Copies of the publication for 2004 (Cm 6713) can be found in the House Library.
	The data are not collected, stored or presented in a way enabling them to be easily broken down between England, Wales and Scotland as the 1986 Act is administered by the Home Office for the whole of Great Britain (it is administered separately in Northern Ireland). A special exercise has therefore been conducted to isolate the information requested in relation to Scotland.
	As at 31 December 2004, there were 34 establishments in Scotland designated as places where licensed scientific procedures using animals may be conducted. Of these, 19 were also designated as breeding establishments and 10 as supplying establishments.
	In 2004, 114 project licences were granted in Scotland under the 1986 Act and a total of 510 project licences were in force in Scotland at the end of 2004. Of these, 196 were categorised in the mild severity band, 288 moderate, 11 substantial and 15 unclassified.
	The 1986 Act requires that all experiments shall be carried out under local or general anaesthesia unless the Secretary of State judges that the anaesthesia would be more traumatic to the animals than the experiment itself, or that anaesthesia is incompatible with the objective of the experiment.
	In 2004, 61 per cent. of the regulated procedures carried out in Scotland during 2004 were conducted without any form of anaesthesia. 15 per cent. of procedures carried out in Scotland in 2004 used genetically modified animals and four per cent used animals with a harmful genetic defect. 69 per cent. of the regulated procedures were carried out for fundamental and applied studies other than toxicology. 20 per cent. were for toxicity tests, or other safety and efficacy evaluation.
	Two infringements of the 1986 Act were reported from designated establishments in Scotland during 2004. No prosecutions resulted.

Asylum Seekers

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has proposed to Birmingham city council that asylum seekers accommodated by the council should be provided with free  (a) televisions and  (b) television licences; and whether Birmingham city council has made representations to his Department on this issue.

Tony McNulty: Accommodation providers contracting with the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) to house supported asylum seekers are required to provide accommodation that meets the minimum standards set out in the NASS Statement of Requirements, a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House. The Statement of Requirements, which is a schedule to the NASS accommodation contract, does not require providers, in meeting those standards, to supply asylum seekers with a television or TV licence.
	Birmingham city council has not made any representations to the Home Office on this issue.

Deportation

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instigate an immediate inquiry into the manner of the recent deportation of the Dar family from Bootle, Merseyside to Pakistan; and what guidance he has issued on  (a) the provision of medical treatment,  (b) the conduct of officials,  (c) the quality of transport,  (d) access to legal advice and  (e) access to the relevant hon. Member with respect to deportees from the UK.

Tony McNulty: It is not considered that an inquiry into this case is needed as there is no evidence of any deviation from the policies that should be adhered to in cases of this nature.

Deportation

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government is taking to deport illegal immigrants.

Tony McNulty: The Government have a number of measures in place to tackle illegal immigrants and ensure the removal of individuals who have no basis of stay in the UK and these include; The Assisted Voluntary Returns programme: the increased use of reporting, electronic monitoring, tagging and voice recognition; joint intelligence led operations with the police to maintain contact; increased use of chartered flights; working in partnership with countries and governments overseas to secure appropriate travel documentation.

Domestic Violence

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is available in  (a) West Yorkshire and  (b) Wakefield constituency to deal with domestic violence.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to the previous answer provided to the right hon. Member for Normanton (Ed Balls) on 5 December 2005,  Official Report, column 980W. This details provision for domestic violence within both West Yorkshire and Wakefield.

Group 4 Securicor

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2126W, on Group 4 Securicor, what the value of contracts is expected to be in each region.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The latest available information suggests that in the financial year 2005-06 the total value of the contracts awarded to Group 4 Securicor for electronic monitoring, broken down by region, is expected to be as in the following table:
	
		
			  Region  £ million 
			 North East and North West 14.7 
			 East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside 11.3 
			 South East and South West 10.0

Home Detention Curfews

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders in Hertfordshire were on home detention curfews (HDCs) in 2004-05; and what proportion of these offenders failed to complete the HDC period successfully.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested, as recorded on the Prison Service IT system, is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of persons released from prisons in Hertfordshire( 1)  on Home Detention Curfews (HDC) in 2004-05 and percentage of those offenders who failed to complete the HDC period 
			  The Mount( 2)  2004  2005  Total 
			 Released on HDC 61 82 143 
			 
			 Recalls 16 21 37 
			 
			 Percentage recalled 26 25.6 25.9 
			 (1) The question has been answered to give the number of prisoners released from Hertfordshire prisons; information on offenders from Hertfordshire who have been released on HDC is not held centrally.  (2 )Total for Hertfordshire.

Home Detention Curfews

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places were occupied in  (a) probation hostels and  (b) voluntary sector hostels in (i) England and (ii) Wales where the offender was known to the Multi-Agency Public Protection panel on the latest date for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The data in the table relate to Approved Premises, formerly bail and probation hostels, in England and Wales. Data are not collected centrally on other types of hostel accommodation outside the Approved Premises Estate which may accommodate ex-offenders.
	
		
			   Number as at 30 September 2005 
			 Residents in Approved Premises managed by the Probation Service in England who are subject to supervision by Multi-Agency Public Protection Panels 138 
			 Residents in Approved Premises managed by the voluntary sector in England who are subject to supervision by Multi-Agency Public Protection Panels 13 
			 Residents in Approved Premises managed by the Probation Service(1 )in Wales who are subject to supervision by Multi-Agency Public Protection Panels 7 
			 (1 )All of the Approved Premises in Wales are run by probation boards.

IND Procedures

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what enforcement action is taken against those who are required to report to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and who miss two appointments in a row; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The operational response to any failure to comply with a condition of temporary admission will depend upon all the circumstances of the case. Sometimes this can be achieved by writing to applicants and reminding them of their obligation to observe the conditions attached to their temporary admission, but in more serious cases detention or prosecution may be appropriate.
	A programme is currently underway whereby two successive failures to report leads to expiry of the Application Registration Card and in turn to loss of access to asylum support. Access to support can be regained simply by resumption of reporting.

Leyhill Open Prison

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many escapes there have been from Leyhill open prison in each quarter since Q1 1999; what original offences were committed by each person who escaped; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There have been 393 prisoner absconds from Leyhill prison since 1999. Data on the convictions of those who absconded are given in the following table. The total number of absconds is not equal to the total number of offences. There is a shortfall of four offences, due to double entry of incidents. The information is held on an annualised basis, and to break it down on a quarterly basis could only be carried out at disproportionate cost. The data have been extracted from the prison service incident reporting system (IRS). IRS has a number of inconsistencies and is currently under review.
	As soon as a prisoner is found to have absconded from an open prison the local police are informed immediately. The prisoner's security category is reviewed when the prisoner is recaptured and returned to an appropriate closed prison.
	
		
			  Convictions of prisoners absconding from Leyhill prison between 1999 and 2005 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm — — — 2 — 2 
			 Affray — — — — 1 — 
			 Aggravated Burglary — — — — — — 
			 Arson — 1 — — — — 
			 Assault A Police Officer — — — — — 1 
			 Assault With Intent To Cause Grievous Bodily Harm — — — — 1 — 
			 Assault With Intent To Rob 1 — — — — — 
			 Attempted Burglary — — — — 1 — 
			 Attempted Deception — — — — — 1 
			 Attempted Murder — — — — 1 — 
			 Attempt To Pervert The Course Of Justice — — — — 1 1 
			 Attempted Robbery — — — — 2 2 
			 Attempt To Commit Theft — — — — 1 — 
			 Blackmail — — — — — — 
			 Breach Of Community Service Order — — — — 2 — 
			 Breach Of Probation Order — — — — 1 — 
			 Breach Of Supervision Order — — — 1 — — 
			 Burglary 17 8 3 3 33 39 
			 Burglary Of A Dwelling Place — — — — 4 3 
			 Conspiracy To Commit A Kidnap — — — — — — 
			 Conspiracy To Riot — — — — — 1 
			 Conspiracy To Supply Drugs — — — — 1 — 
			 Conspiracy To Commit Theft — — — — 1 — 
			 Convictions During Original Sentence — — — — — — 
			 Criminal Damage — 1 1 — — — 
			 Customs Evasion (Drugs Related) — — — — 2 — 
			 Driving whilst disqualified — 1 1 — 3 — 
			 Deception — — — 1 — — 
			 Death By Reckless Driving 1 — — — — 2 
			 False Instruments — — — — — — 
			 Fraud 1 — — 1 — — 
			 Inflict Grievous Bodily Harm 1 — — 2 — 2 
			 Go Equipped For Stealing — — — — — — 
			 Holding Warrant — 2 — — 2 3 
			 Handling Stolen Goods — — 1 1 1 1 
			 Kidnap — — 1 — — — 
			 Import/Export/Drug — — — — — 1 
			 Manslaughter 1 — 1 1 — 2 
			 Murder 3 5 2 2 3 6 
			 Other Drug Offences — — — — 1 — 
			 Possession Drug — — — — 2 — 
			 Possession Drugs With Intent To Supply 1 — 2 — 4 3 
			 Possession Of Firearm With Intent. Endanger Life 1 2 — — 2 — 
			 Possession Of An Offensive Weapon — — — — — 1 
			 Rape 1 2 — — 2 1 
			 Reckless Driving 1 — — 1 — 1 
			 Robbery 3 1 2 5 17 13 
			 Sec 40 convictions during original sentence — 1 — — 1 1 
			 Supplying Drugs 1 — — — 2 5 
			 Taking And Driving Away — — — — 1 1 
			 Theft 1 1 4 1 3 6 
			 Threatening/Disorderly Behaviour — — — — 3 — 
			 Wounding (Inflicting Grievous Bodily Harm) — — — 1 2 1 
			 Wounding With Intent To Inflict Grievous Bodily Harm 1 — — — 1 4 
			 Vehicle Relate — 1 — — 1 — 
			 Violent Disorder — — — 1 — — 
			  — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   2005  2006  Total 
			 Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm — — 4 
			 Affray 1 — 2 
			 Aggravated Burglary 1 — 1 
			 Arson — 1 2 
			 Assault A Police Officer — — 1 
			 Assault With Intent To Cause Grievous Bodily Harm — — 1 
			 Assault With Intent To Rob — — 1 
			 Attempted Burglary — — 1 
			 Attempted Deception — — 1 
			 Attempted Murder — — — 
			 Attempt To Pervert The Course Of Justice — — 2 
			 Attempted Robbery 2 — 6 
			 Attempt To Commit Theft — — 1 
			 Blackmail 1 — 1 
			 Breach Of Community Service Order — — 2 
			 Breach Of Probation Order — — 1 
			 Breach Of Supervision Order — — 1 
			 Burglary 22 — 125 
			 Burglary Of A Dwelling Place 6 1 14 
			 Conspiracy To Commit A Kidnap 1 — 1 
			 Conspiracy To Riot — — 1 
			 Conspiracy To Supply Drugs — — 1 
			 Conspiracy To Commit Theft 2 — 3 
			 Convictions During Original Sentence — — — 
			 Criminal Damage — — 2 
			 Customs Evasion (Drugs Related) 2 — 4 
			 Driving whilst disqualified — — 5 
			 Deception — — 1 
			 Death By Reckless Driving — — 3 
			 False Instruments 1 — 1 
			 Fraud — — 2 
			 Inflict Grievous Bodily Harm 3 1 9 
			 Go Equipped For Stealing 1 — 1 
			 Holding Warrant 1 — 8 
			 Handling Stolen Goods 2 — 6 
			 Kidnap — 1  
			 Import/Export/Drug 2 — 3 
			 Manslaughter — — 5 
			 Murder 1 — 22 
			 Other Drug Offences — — 1 
			 Possession Drug 1 — 3 
			 Possession Drugs With Intent To Supply 4 — 14 
			 Possession Of Firearm With Intent. Endanger Life 1 — 6 
			 Possession Of An Offensive Weapon — — 1 
			 Rape 1 — 7 
			 Reckless Driving — — 3 
			 Robbery 15 1 57 
			 Sec 40 convictions during original sentence — — 3 
			 Supplying Drugs 2 — 10 
			 Taking And Driving Away 2 — 4 
			 Theft 1 — 17 
			 Threatening/Disorderly Behaviour — — 3 
			 Wounding (Inflicting Grievous Bodily Harm) 1 — 5 
			 Wounding With Intent To Inflict Grievous Bodily Harm — — 6 
			 Vehicle Relate — — 2 
			 Violent Disorder — — 1 
			 Total — — 389 
			  Note:  The table excludes four offences where incidents where entered twice.

Medomsley Detention Centre

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will establish an independent and public inquiry into the abuse of inmates at the Medomsley Detention Centre in County Durham between 1970 and 1990.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 9 May 2006
	The Government are aware of outstanding civil claims relating to abuse of prisoners at the Medomsley detention centre which closed in 1983. While these civil actions are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment on any calls for a public inquiry.

National Offender Management Service

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the National Offender Management Service on jobs in  (a) Romford and  (b) Havering.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are currently 57 probation employees in the probation borough of Barking/Dagenham/Havering of which Romford and Havering are a part.
	From 1 April 2006, London Probation will be working to the Offender Management Model. This working structure is being launched in line with the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and will apply to Probation nationally.
	End-to-end Offender Management focuses on one continuous supervision approach for each offender, whether in a custodial or community setting. The emphasis is on the quality of the relationship between staff and the individual offender, and the importance of experiencing delivery of the sentence as a coherent whole.
	Following a consultation process and a series of test Borough 'walkthroughs', the London Arrangements were approved by the London Probation Offender Management Project Board. The arrangements take account of the commitment given to the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit regarding the achievement of timely delivery of reports to Courts.
	From November 2005 to March 2006, the end-to-end Offender Management implementation sees a phased approach, with a detailed plan, overseen by the Project Board. Within each borough, a Borough Implementation Team was created to address and manage the implementation in their borough. This covers the areas of Human Resources, IT, Health and Safety, and Premises. A Project Manager, responsible for overseeing their group of boroughs, and overall, coordinates, manages and feeds back the progresses of the Boroughs to the central Project Manager.

National Offender Management Service

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the main responsibilities of regional offender managers will be under the National Offender Management Service arrangements for the financial year 2006-07; and what is the legal authority under which they carry out those responsibilities.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Regional Offender Managers will be commissioning services from prison and probation areas through Service Level Agreements from 1 April 2006. Their main responsibilities will include building relationships with providers, other commissioners and key stakeholders; agreeing and monitoring SLAs; and delivering on Reducing Re-offending Action Plans. The current legislative framework which sets out the statutory duties of probation boards remains in place, and is unchanged by the creation of Service Level Agreements. However, the SLAs are the key mechanism for introducing commissioning, and signed SLAs will demonstrate the strength of the relationships, and any legal authority derives from the fact that ROMs are Crown servants exercising the powers of the Secretary of State.

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether service level agreements between regional offender managers and probation boards under the National Offender Management Service arrangements are legally binding.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Service level agreements between Regional Offender Managers and probation boards are not legally binding, but are the key mechanism for introducing commissioning.

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place to deal with probation boards or trusts that decline to accept a piece of work.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Probation Boards have a statutory duty to provide probation services and so are not able to refuse work. Under the proposals set out in the consultation paper "Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending", the areas of work undertaken by a Probation Trust would be addressed in the negotiation and agreement of contracts with the commissioner and, thereafter, through contract management processes.

Offences Against the Person Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those convicted under Section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 since 1997 have re-offended within a year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent re-offending data for adults were published in "Re-offending of adults: results from the 2002 cohort" which is available through the Home Office's website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.htm. The report shows the re-offending rates of those offenders who start community penalties of who are discharged from prison in the first quarter of 2002.
	Further analysis of the 2000 data shows that 25 per cent. of offenders sentenced under Section 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 re-offended within 1 year and were subsequently convicted. The corresponding figure for 2002 is 26 per cent.
	Re-offending data broken down by legislative act are not readily available for other years.

Passports

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many adults in Bassetlaw constituency do not have a passport.

Joan Ryan: The identity and passport service collects address information at the time of applying for a passport. The adult passport has a ten year validity period during which time the holder may move residence a number of times. As such, we cannot reliably identify the number of passport holders within any given area.

Passports

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement of 2 May 2006,  Official Report, column 58WS, on passports, 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of the new interview offices in  (a) their first year of operation and  (b) each of the subsequent five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average number of hours per week during which interview offices will be open;
	(3)  what the furthest distance is that an individual will have to travel to reach the nearest interview office of the Identity and Passport Service in  (a) England,  (b) Wales and  (c) Scotland;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the cost of  (a) employing staff in the interview offices for the Identity and Passport Service and  (b) the recruitment process for staff;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the expected average annual salary to be paid to  (a) area managers,  (b) office managers,  (c) interviewers and  (d) network heads in the interview offices for the Identity and Passport Service.

Joan Ryan: The cost of the premises and facilities management contract will be £55 million over three years. This and other costs for the first year of operation have been included in the estimated cost of £350 million for passport operating expenditure, excluding FCO, for 2006-07, published on 21 April in the IPS Corporate and Business Plan. Future estimates will continue to be reviewed annually as part of the regular business planning and budget setting process.
	The number of days of opening per week will differ between offices from two to six days, depending on the number of applications expected. The standard hours of opening hours for all but the seven smallest offices will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and all offices will be open on Saturdays. The 10 busiest offices will open for 60 hours per week over six days. Given this variation in the number of days of opening, an average figure for hours of opening could be misinterpreted. However, the arithmetical average of opening hours for the 69 offices is 35.79 per office per week.
	It is not possible to give the information on furthest distances to travel in the form requested. There will be an office within 20 miles of 75.6 per cent. of the population and within 40 miles of 98.86 per cent. of the population. For people living in areas where the journey to an office would take more than an hour, the remote communities service described in the document placed in the Library on 2 May will be developed. Other than the Scilly Isles, all these areas are in Scotland or Wales.
	The costs of recruitment and employment of staff are included in the estimated expenditure on passports published in the IPS Corporate and Business Plan.
	The salary ranges offered for these jobs are follows:
	
		
			  Expected average annual salary to be paid for the Identity and Passport Service 
			   London area  Elsewhere in UK 
			 Network Head £42,969-£57,012 £41,117-£54,556 
			 Area Manager £29,655-£36,846 £28,471-£35,375 
			 Office Manager £23,764-£30,063 £22,817-£28,865 
			 Interviewer £18,079-£24,037 £17,377-£23,076 
		
	
	Averages cannot be calculated until recruitment is complete.

Passports

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many adults in Tamworth constituency do not have a passport.

Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service collects address information at the time of applying for a passport. The adult passport has a 10 year validity period during which time the holder may move residence a number of times. As such, we cannot reliably identify the number of passport holders within any given area.

Police (Dorset)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the use of public panels to determine career promotion prospects for police officers in Dorset; whether he has plans to extend the scheme to other forces; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: There is no assessment currently planned by the Home Office in respect of the approach to the internal police promotions system process adopted by Dorset police. Dorset's use of lay panels as part of their own internal system is an initiative local to the force. However, the force started a review of the scheme in May 2006 and we will be interested to see its findings. In the meantime, we have no plans to extend this approach across other forces.

Prisons

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the transport of prisoners who are  (a) pregnant and  (b) suffering from medical conditions affecting mobility.

Gerry Sutcliffe: NOMS aims to transport pregnant prisoners and those with restricted mobility, as well as any other prisoners with particular medical needs, in non-cellular vehicles, whenever possible. This follows an assessment of their medical and personal needs by prison operational managers and health care professionals. The contractor should be advised of this requirement in advance of the journey.
	Where this has not happened, and the prisoner declares a medical condition or that they are pregnant, the contractor must seek the advice of a health care professional as to whether a non-cellular vehicle should be used for the transfer.

Prisons

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 829-30W, on prisoners, how many sets were purchased in each year between 1997-98 and 2003-04.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The supplier of television sets is only able to provide data for the last three financial years. The Prison Service does not have separate records showing the number of sets purchased between 1997-98 and 2003-04.

Prisons

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what payments of compensation have been made to prisoners since 1 February 2005 and what the cause of complaint was in each case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table details the compensation payments made to prisoners by the public sector Prison Service in England and Wales between January 2005 and December 2005. Data on the amount of compensation paid by contracted prison operators are not collated centrally. However, any payments would come from the operator.
	
		
			  Table showing compensation payments made to prisoners by the public sector Prison Service in England and Wales between January 2005 and December 2005 
			Injury 
			  Date completed  Abuse/harassment  Assault by prisoner  Assault by staff  Other 
			  2004-05 Q4 
			 Number of cases settled 1 4 1 10 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 500 25,009 20,500 30,126 
			  
			  2005-06 Q1 
			 Number of cases settled 1 — 1 10 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 500 — 12,000 22,800 
			  
			  2005-06 Q2 
			 Number of cases settled — 1 1 6 
			 Total settlement amount (£) — 10,920 1,250 16,450 
			  
			  2005-06 Q3 
			 Number of cases settled — 1 1 8 
			 Total settlement amount (£) — 2,000 100,000 30,150 
			  
			 Total number of cases settled 2 6 4 34 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 1,000 37,929 133,750 99,526 
		
	
	
		
			   Injury   
			  Date completed  Slips, trips and falls  Sport  Medical negligence  Other 
			  2004-05 Q4 
			 Number of cases settled 8 — 1 2 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 23,150 — 10,000 5,050 
			  
			  2005-06 Q1 
			 Number of cases settled 3 — 2 3 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 8,725 — 27,200 10,500 
			  
			  2005-06 Q2 
			 Number of cases settled 5 — 2 5 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 14,375 — 10,000 36,520 
			  
			  2005-06 Q3 
			 Number of cases settled 5 1 4 2 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 23,155 1,200 173,500 1,608 
			  
			 Total number of cases settled 21 1 9 12 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 69,405 1,200 220,700 53,678 
		
	
	
		
			  Date completed  Loss or damage to possessions  Unlawful detention  Total 
			  2004-05 Q4
			 Number of cases settled 7 7 41 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 8,191 16,560 139,086 
			 
			  2005-06 Q1
			 Number of cases settled 9 5 34 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 2,681 13,250 97,656 
			 
			  2005-06 Q2
			 Number of cases settled 13 12 45 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 5,270 18,050 112,835 
			 
			  2005-06 Q3
			 Number of cases settled 16 15 53 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 2,634 30,670 364,917 
			 
			 Total number of cases settled 45 39 173 
			 Total settlement amount (£) 18,776 78,530 714,495

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) remand prisoners and  (b) sentenced prisoners suffering from mental problems.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the number of prisoners with mental problems is not held centrally.
	A survey of psychiatric morbidity among prisoners in England and Wales undertaken in 1997 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that around 90 per cent. of prisoners had at least one of the five disorders considered in the survey. Looking at the results of this survey in more detail, some 10 per cent. of men on remand, 7 per cent. of sentenced men and 14 per cent. of all women had suffered a functional psychosis (such as schizophrenia or manic depression) in the past year. Around 59 per cent. of men on remand, 40 per cent. of sentenced men, 76 per cent. of women on remand and 63 per cent. of sentenced women had suffered from a neurotic disorder in the previous week. Rates of personality disorder were 78 per cent. amongst remanded men, 64 per cent. among sentenced men and 50 per cent. among all women.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the upgrading of governor grade positions at HM Prison Buckley Hall; on what basis the decision to upgrade was taken; whether the upgrade is permanent; from which budget the promotion is paid; and who decided  (a) the basis of the upgrade and  (b) the source of the finance to pay for the upgrade.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There have been two instances in which managers have been deployed in the prison who carry a more senior grade and payband than the post requires. This was partly to assist in the change of role for the prison to a male establishment, but also because of the individual circumstances of the managers. The decision to deploy these staff was made by senior Prison Service management. Any additional costs that may have been incurred would have been met from within the establishment and area budget.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations there have been into alleged misconduct of prison governors at HMP Wandsworth in the last five years; what the  (a) length and  (b) outcome was of each investigation; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There have been six investigations in the last five years into allegations of misconduct by governor grades at Wandsworth. Each investigation may include more than one employee and include governor grades. Two investigations required no further action and a further three required disciplinary hearings. The sixth investigation is still under way and the outcome is not yet known. The outcome of one investigation concluded in no further action but advice and guidance to the individuals was issued. Of the six investigations: two were less than six months in duration, three were between six months and a year in duration, and one is still under way.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the preparation of  (a) adult prisoners and  (b) young offenders for release from custody and rejoining their families; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government are committed to reducing re-offending by both adults and younger offenders. We recognise that, in the case of those released from custodial sentences, this can be achieved only through successful reintegration into the community. This, in turn, requires action from the earliest stages to address offenders' needs; examples of activity taking place in prisons include basic skills training and work to increase offenders' employability.
	In recent months we have launched a series of complementary initiatives, to reduce re-offending. Last November we published the National Reducing Re-offending Delivery Plan, setting out our plans over the next 18 months for tackling re-offending, working in partnership at national, regional and local levels.
	At the same time we launched three important new alliances, which will develop existing links with the corporate sector and with the faith and voluntary and community sector; we will also build on links with local authorities and other non-CJS partners, through the Civic Society Alliance. The alliances reflect the reality of our intention to develop partnerships at all levels to reduce re-offending.
	Last month, we published "A Five Year Strategy for Protecting the Public and Reducing Re-offending". This sets out our wider vision of how the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will work with its partners in the coming years, to reduce re-offending, to cut crime and to help create a safer, more secure society.
	Also last month, the Youth Justice Board published its Youth Resettlement Framework Action Plan community prisons. The framework focuses on seven resettlement pathways: Case Management and Transitions; Accommodation; Education, Training and Employment; Health; Substance Misuse; Families; and Finance, Benefit and Debt. It highlights the main actions required at local, regional and national level, emphasising the need to take account of the reducing re-offending alliances.
	The framework will be continually influenced by developing practice and monitored by a strategic steering group of key partners at national level. This group will provide an overview for the NOMS Programme Board and the Youth Justice Board, promoting and disseminating practice as it develops. The framework will be revisited in 12 months time when a formal review of its impact will be conducted by the Youth Justice Board. The regional reducing re-offending partnership boards will be instrumental in implementing effective resettlement for young people and links have already been established.
	One of the pathways in the Reducing Re-offending Delivery Plan focuses on offenders' children and families. It will help offenders maintain family relationships and provide support while they are serving sentence and in sustaining changes in behaviour thereafter. The pathway is in the early stages of development and we are working to establish governance arrangements, including establishing a cross-Government sub-board. The sub-board will enable us to ensure our policies across government are aligned and mutually supportive, highlighting good practice while preventing duplication of effort and resources. As an important element of the work, a three year project to establish a regional pathfinder is now getting under way under the management of the regional offender manager for the West Midlands. Its objectives are to strengthen family ties, to support children and families and reduce re-offending through a collaborative approach.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inmates in adult prisons and young offender institutions have  (a) dependent spouses or partners and  (b) dependent children.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are no routinely collected data on the number of prisoners in prison who have dependent spouses/partners or dependent children. However, a representative survey of 1,944 prisoners nearing release conducted by the Home Office in 2003 found that 31 per cent. of prisoners (not including juveniles under 18 years of age) reported living with a spouse or partner immediately before custody (no information is available on whether the partner was dependent or not). The same survey found that 16 per cent. of prisoners reported living with dependent children under the age of 18 before custody.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of buildings in the prison estate with leaking roofs,  (b) the ages of those buildings,  (c) how many rooms in those buildings are not in use as a result of leaking roofs,  (d) what proportion of those buildings are the same style as X and Y blocks at HM Prison Spring Hill and  (e) what proportion were built by the same contractor.

Gerry Sutcliffe: To assemble all the information requested in this question could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	The latest information held on the NOMS maintenance database indicates that the total number of buildings currently in the public prison estate (dating from the 19th century to 2003) with leaks is 1,357 and that it would cost an estimated £23 million for them to be repaired. The style of block at HMP Spring Hill accounts for 2.1 per cent. of the 1,357 recorded. The block suppliers for HMP Spring Hill (Elliot Redispace) account for 1.4 per cent. of the 1,357 recorded.
	This 1,357 recording of leaks includes a range of buildings experiencing varying degrees of leaking and the prisons remain operational. A series of schemes to address leaking roof problems have been undertaken in recent years to address the most pressing needs and such schemes are continuing.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many listeners there are at each prison; how many are designated as foreign nationals; and if he will list the nationalities of listeners at each prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information required is not collated centrally in the requested format and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. 'Listeners' are Samaritan-trained prisoner peer supporters who provide emotional confidential support to prisoners. 2,650 listeners were recruited across the estate between October 2001 and March 2004.
	There are currently 118 listener schemes operating in prisons in England and Wales. Where listener schemes exist listeners are made available to all prisoners, and prisons are required to ensure that prisoners have timely access to listeners. The number of contacts recorded (by Samaritans) between listeners and prisoners between July to December 2005 was 28,570.
	Provision for listeners was assessed as part of Safer Custody Group's peer support project, which ran from April 2001 to March 2004, and through a three-year project undertaken by the Samaritans, funded jointly by Safer Custody Group and Active Community Unit, to review the work of listeners and Samaritans being carried out in 47 'high-risk' prisons including prisoner access to listeners.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of day release schemes for prisoners operated in other countries.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Office has not undertaken an assessment of day release schemes in other countries.
	Release on temporary licence (ROTL) is used by prison governors to improve resettlement opportunities for prisoners and to maintain family ties. In conjunction with a stringent risk assessment process, ROTL plays a key role in the management of prisoners in the resettlement estate. This comprises 30 establishments, mainly open prisons, which provide specific regimes for longer term prisoners, including life sentence prisoners, during the final two years of their sentence. The resettlement estate provides opportunities for prisoners to address offending behaviour, educational and training needs, and to undertake unpaid community work and, finally, paid employment.
	The number of prisoners released on ROTL for resettlement purposes varies slightly over time. The most recent snapshot of resettlement estate activity was undertaken in February 2006 and revealed that some 1,550 prisoners were engaged in unpaid community work and paid employment placements.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his strategy for tackling prisoner alcohol misuse and addiction.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The national offender management service published in December 2004 a comprehensive 'Alcohol strategy for prisoners'.
	The strategy provides a framework for addressing prisoners' alcohol problems and acts as a benchmark for prisons to formulate their response to alcohol misuse at local level.
	This strategy can be accessed at the following link:
	http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/assets/documents/100008 2AAddressing_Alcohol_Misuse.doc

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will reconstruct the prison regime to support prisoners working a conventional 9 am to 5 pm working day in education, vocational training or work programmes.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The national offender manager, the regional offender managers and the director of offender management in Wales commission services for offenders in custody and the community, along with other Government Departments including the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills. They will commission services from the public sector prison service and private sector prisons on the basis of offenders needs. These needs include employment, training and education needs. However, it is for providers—whether the prison service, private prison contractor or subcontractors to those running prisons—to construct a prison regime which fulfils offenders' employment training and education needs within available resources.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend the Offenders Assessment System to apply to remand and short-term prisoners.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Offender Assessment System, OASys, will be extended to include short-term prisoners when Custody Plus is implemented later this year. It would not be appropriate to extend it to include remand prisoners as it cannot properly be applied to those who have not as yet been convicted of an offence.

Probation Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to introduce legislation to give the Secretary of State the power to contract out probation services.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We intend to bring forward legislation to restructure probation services as soon as the parliamentary timetable allows.

Prostitution

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding will be made available to implement the Coordinated Prostitution Strategy.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 18 April 2006
	Local activity to support the strategy, including the development of routes out for those involved in prostitution, is funded from a number of existing sources. For example, 87 Local Strategic Partnerships receive neighbourhood renewal fund to kick start the improvement of services to tackle deprivation. There are also 35 neighbourhood management pathfinders with a focus on changing the way in which key mainstream services are delivered so that they meet the needs and priorities of neighbourhoods, and 39 new deal for communities partnerships to address the priority needs of neighbourhoods.
	The safer and stronger communities fund is also part of the local area agreement approach and can be used to address crime and antisocial behaviour, and to reduce the harm caused by illegal drugs.
	Women trapped in prostitution frequently have a complex range of needs which can include drug treatment and other health needs, and housing. A key objective of the strategy is to ensure that these needs are recognised and that services are accessible to this group. The most urgent need for many is for drug treatment. In addition to NHS funding through primary care trusts and social services funding streams, central Government provides funding for drug treatment through the pooled treatment budget, which increased by 18 per cent. from £253 million in 2004-05 to £299 million in 2005-06. The other urgent need is for appropriate and stable housing. The strategy encourages local authorities to ensure that relevant services, such as those provided via the Supporting People programme, are made accessible to women exiting prostitution.
	Other sources of Government funding are available to support this aspect of the strategy. For example, since 2004 the Home Office has placed £5.25 million into the victims fund to support the development of support services for victims of sexual offending. A number of projects involved in the provision of support for those involved in prostitution have received grants from this fund.

Prostitution

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prostitutes in England and Wales have received antisocial behaviour orders since their introduction.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 18 April 2006
	The requested information is not collated centrally.

Security Industry Authority

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for licences to the Security Industry Authority  (a) are outstanding and  (b) have been outstanding for more than (i) three and (ii) six months; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 2 March 2006
	Due to the number of late applications there is a four week delay checking and scanning applications onto the licensing system. Once on the system, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) aim to process 80 per cent. of applicants within six weeks. In the four months prior to Christmas, (excluding the effect of bank holidays) the SIA completed processing of 23,191 applications, 86 per cent. within the six week target.
	At 28 February there were 23,191 applications with the SIA being processed. Of those 628 (2.7 per cent.) had been on their system for more than three months and 139 (0.6 per cent.) for more than six months. These circumstances are for the protection of the public and arise when the SIA or the CRB (provider of the criminality checks) are waiting for information from the applicant. The main issues are either confirmation of training or further CRB enquires where there are doubts about the identity of the applicant, often requiring fingerprint verification by the police. Other smaller numbers are where payments have failed and not been rectified or where overseas criminality checks are outstanding. Of the 628 over three months, 217(35 per cent.) were awaiting training confirmation and 305 (49 per cent.) were awaiting further identity checks by the CRB.

Security Industry Authority

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Security Industry Agency has cost.

Vernon Coaker: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is required to be self-financing from the licence fee income but it was always anticipated that the SIA would not break even in its first couple of years, because of the gradual introduction of licensing, which will eventually meet all the SIA's running costs. The deficit in the first year, 2003-04, was £7.1 million as the SIA had no licence income. In 2004-05, the deficit was £13 million, and the estimated deficit for 2005-06 is about £3.5 million.

Security Industry Authority

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 14 March 2006 to question 52038, on the security industry, what assumptions were made in the Security Industry Authority's estimate that current demand for door supervisors is 46,000.

Vernon Coaker: The assumptions made in the answer pursuant to question 52038 reflected original assumptions made by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) which were subsequently modified. The original SIA planning assumptions were based on the number of door supervisors registered under local authority registration schemes applicable to individuals working in premises licensed for the sale and consumption of alcohol. Such schemes extended to approximately60 per cent. of local authorities, and numbers for England and Wales were extrapolated from this.
	The SIA discussed the assumptions with specialist sector bodies. It based its current assumption on the experience in the pilot region where the numbers applying for licences were significantly lower than expectations. Once the offence date had passed the SIA obtained information through its compliance team and enforcement partners on the numbers of licensed and unlicensed individuals they were finding during visits to premises and their joint compliance operations. At the time this was approximately 80 per cent. licensed and 20 per cent. unlicensed; on this basis the SIA revised its numbers for the pilot region and extrapolated them to the other regions.
	These figures have been reviewed a number of times but are believed to be the best data available. The SIA also believes, but as yet has no firm evidence, that a significant percentage of door supervisors have de-selected themselves because they would not meet the licensing criteria, and that a percentage may have been working in the informal economy.

Security Industry Authority

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether security industry workers who have applied for a licence to the Security Industry Authority but who have not yet received one will be able to continue in their employment.

Vernon Coaker: From 20 March 2006, it became a criminal offence for manned guards to carry out security activities without a licence under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (PSIA). Enforcement is the responsibility of the Security Industry Authority and the police. The SIA published an enforcement policy on 7 March which stated that, while they want the private security industry to be compliant with the law as quickly as possible, they will take into account a number of factors when deciding what enforcement action to take. These factors include the progress an individual has made towards getting or renewing a licence, the current licensing processing time, the time elapsed since the activity became licensable and any previous encounters with or warnings given by the SIA or other agency.
	Any individual carrying out licensable activities without a licence will be committing a criminal offence, unless they have received a license dispensation notice from the SIA under the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS). This allows accredited firms to legally deploy a proportion of their staff who have completed their training but whose applications are still being processed. As at 11 May, it is estimated that around 30,000 individuals are being deployed lawfully under the ACS Scheme.

Sex Offenders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how decisions for parole are reached for individuals convicted of sex offences who maintain their innocence and do not participate in the Sex Offender Treatment Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Parole Board decisions on whether or not to award parole focus primarily on the risk to the public of an offence being committed at a time when the offender would otherwise be in prison. In assessing whether the safety of the public will be placed unacceptably at risk, the board is directed to take into account that the risk of violent or sexual offending is more serious than a risk of other types of offending. This must be balanced against the benefit, both to the public and the offender, of early release back into the community under a degree of supervision which might help rehabilitation and so lessen the risk of re-offending in the future.
	The Parole Board considers many factors including the nature and circumstances of the offence of which the offender was convicted, any previous convictions, the offender's attitude and response in prison, what, if any, offence-related work has been completed, reports from the Prison and Probation Service and any representations from the offender himself. On the strength of the available information it makes a judgment on the likely benefit both to the offender and society in allowing the offender to serve part of the sentence in the community.
	There is no requirement for an offender to admit guilt prior to making an application for parole, nor is denial of guilt or failure to attend a sex offender programme a bar to release on parole licence.

Sex Offenders

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted sex offenders in England and Wales have had electronic type tags fitted after their release from prison in each year between 2000 and 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 24 April 2006
	Information on the number of prisoners released subject to an electronically monitored curfew under the home detention curfew scheme (HDC) for each year whose index offence was recorded as a sexual offence is given in the following table. Information on the number of convicted sex offenders who have had electronic tags fitted after other types of release from prison in each year between 2000 and 2005 is not held centrally. It could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Number of people released on HDC whose offence recorded was a sexual offence, England and Wales 
			  Year of discharge  Number released 
			 1999 15 
			 2000 24 
			 2001 16 
			 2002 14 
			 2003 8 
			 2004 4 
			 2005 1 
			 Total 82 
			  Notes:  1. These statistics are based on information recorded on the central Prison Service IT system at 21 April 2006. Further updates and amendments may be made to records on this system in future resulting in revised figures.  2. Investigations suggest that, for HDC releases covering all offence groups, around 5 per cent. of offence types recorded on this system do not relate to the offence for which they were released on HDC but relate to offences committed after release from prison and before their licence expiry date for their sentence.  3. Of the 82 discharges recorded as relating to those serving sexual offences shown in the table, 64 were actually serving a sentence for a sexual offence at the time of their release. The last offender to be released on HDC while serving a sentence for a sexual offence was released in January 2004.  4. The statistics presented in the table will also include those sentenced for abduction which was not of a sexual nature.

Hostels

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of places in hostels run by  (a) the probation service and  (b) the voluntary sector in (i) England and (ii) Wales were allocated to sex offenders on the latest date for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The data in the table relates to Approved Premises, formerly bail and probation hostels, in England and Wales. Data is not collected centrally on other types of hostel accommodation outside the Approved Premises Estate which may accommodate ex-offenders.
	All of the Approved Premises in Wales are run by probation boards. The percentage of Approved Premises residents in Wales with a conviction for a sexual offence in March 2003 was 38 per cent. This is taken from the data collected as part of the snapshot survey in 2003.
	
		
			  As at March each year  Percentage of residents in Approved Premises managed by the Probation Service with a current or previous conviction for sexual offences  Percentage of residents in Approved Premises managed by the voluntary sector with a current or previous conviction for sexual offences 
			 2003(1) 41 23 
			 2004(2) 45 24 
			 (1 )Home Office Research Finding 230 "Approved Premises: results of a snapshot survey, 2003".  (2 )Unpublished snapshot survey conducted in March 2004.

Under-age Drinking

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices were issued for  (a) consumption of alcohol by and  (b) selling alcohol to under-age people in (i) Cambridgeshire and (ii) Peterborough in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The penalty notice for disorder scheme came into use in all police forces in England and Wales during 2004. There have been no penalty notices for disorder issued in Cambridgeshire for the consumption of alcohol by under 18s and the sale of alcohol to under 18s.

Yarl's Wood

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children have been detained for 21 days or more in  (a) immigration detention centres and  (b) Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre in the last five years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 17 May 2006
	This information is not available in the format requested.
	During the third quarter of 2005, there were 455 minors recorded as being removed or released from detention (excluding Oakington) in the UK who were detained solely under Immigration Act powers, of whom 390 were last detained in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre. 60 of these minors were detained for a period of 21 days or more, and were all recorded as being removed or released from Yarl's Wood.

Yarl's Wood

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of self-harm there were by pregnant women detained at Yarl's Wood between 1 April 2004 and January 31 2006; and what proportion of these incidents involved women in the Fast Track system.

Tony McNulty: There have been no incidents of self-harm by women confirmed to be pregnant who were detained at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre between 1 April 2004 and 31 January 2006.

Yarl's Wood

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pregnant women are held at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre; how many were held there between 1 April 2004 and 31 January 2006; and how many of these were held for  (a) up to one week,  (b) between one and three weeks,  (c) between three and eight weeks and  (d) longer than eight weeks.

Tony McNulty: There are currently nine pregnant women detained at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre. Two of these women are part of the Fast Track process.
	180 pregnant women were detained at the Centre between 1 April 2004 and 31 January 2006. Length of stay is recorded as follows:
	
		
			  Length of stay  Number of pregnant women detained 
			 Up to 1 week 116 
			 1-3 weeks 29 
			 3-8 weeks 30 
			 Longer than 8 weeks 5

Young Offenders

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people detained in young offender institutions have received rehabilitative treatment while imprisoned in each of the past eight years.

John Reid: The following table shows the number of offending behaviour programme completions and drug treatment completions in young offender institutions and juvenile establishments for each year in which data are available. It also shows the number of educational and work skills awards, which also contribute the rehabilitation of offenders.
	
		
			  Completed programmes and awards 
			   Offender behaviour programme completions  Drug programme completions  Education  Work skills awards 
			 1996-97 206 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1997-98 401 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998-99 532 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999-2000 683 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000-01 720 n/a (1)1,613 10,761 
			 2001-02 811 n/a (1)1,731 16,512 
			 2002-03 859 n/a 8,132 26,921 
			 2003-04 1,015 496 9,559 33,772 
			 2004-05 944 509 12,346 29,409 
			 (1) Data for these years relate to basic skills awards at level 2 only.

Young Offenders

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many child prisoners have been delivered to each young offenders institution after 8 pm in each of the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Juvenile males are aged from 15 years to 17 years and females from 16 years to 17 years. The most recent data available covering April 2005 to March 2006, for the number of juvenile prisoners returned to young offender institutions after 8 pm are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Juvenile prisoners arriving at young offender institutions after 8 pm by month for the year April 2005 to March 2006 
			  Establishment  April  May  June  July  August  September 
			 HMYOI Ashfield 5 21 28 16 48 43 
			 HM YOI Brinsford(1) 1 — — — — 6 
			 HMYOI Bullwood Hall(1) — — — — — 1 
			 HM YOI Castington — — — — 1 — 
			 HM YOI Cookham Wood — — — — — 1 
			 HM YOI Downview(1) 4 1 5 1 — — 
			 HMYOI Eastwood Park(1) — 3 — — — 1 
			 HMYOI Feltham 14 16 31 35 12 31 
			 HMYOI Hindley — — — — — 1 
			 HMYOI Huntercombe 19 22 31 38 12 25 
			 HMYOI Lancaster Farms — 4 2 1 1 12 
			 HMYOI Newhall(1) — — 2 — — — 
			 HMYOI Parc — — — — 3 — 
			 HMYOI Reading — — 1 — — — 
			 HMYOI Stoke Heath 14 14 18 14 25 14 
			 HMYOI Warren Hill 36 30 54 40 22 43 
			 HMYOI Werrington 6 2 — 1 2 5 
			 HMYOI Wetherby — 4 1 — 3 9 
		
	
	
		
			  Establishment  October  November  December  January  February  March 
			 HMYOI Ashfield 35 40 18 15 43 38 
			 HM YOI Brinsford(1) 6 — 4 1 9 1 
			 HMYOI Bullwood Hall(1) — — — — — — 
			 HM YOI Castington — 1 — — 6 — 
			 HM YOI Cookham Wood 5 2 — 1 2 — 
			 HM YOI Downview(1) — 2 1 1 2 1 
			 HMYOI Eastwood Park(1) 2 1 2 2 4 5 
			 HMYOI Feltham 65 46 11 23 5 17 
			 HMYOI Hindley — — — — — — 
			 HMYOI Huntercombe 25 26 19 21 25 24 
			 HMYOI Lancaster Farms 10 6 1 — 1 — 
			 HMYOI Newhall(1) — — — — — — 
			 HMYOI Parc — — — — — — 
			 HMYOI Reading — — — — — — 
			 HMYOI Stoke Heath 30 15 15 4 9 12 
			 HMYOI Warren Hill 46 55 48 34 25 37 
			 HMYOI Werrington 7 5 — 1 1 1 
			 HMYOI Wetherby 3 8 1 — 1 1 
			 (1 )Female establishment

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bahamas Agreement

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the Bahamas Agreement.

Geoff Hoon: A copy of the Bahamas Agreement was placed in the Library of the House in 1956.

Colombia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will assess the level of violence in Colombia, with particular reference to that directed against trade unionists.

Geoff Hoon: We remain very concerned about the situation faced by civil society, including trade unionists, in Colombia, While the situation clearly remains unacceptable, we feel that some progress has been made. Figures for 2005 show that the numbers of murders, kidnappings, displacements and massacres are generally decreasing from those of 2004. But more needs to be done. We keep the human rights situation in the country under constant review, frequently raising specific human rights cases with the Colombian authorities, We regularly meet UK and Colombian trade unionists and other civil society groups, in the UK and Colombia, to hear their views and discuss how the Government can best support them.
	My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, met a British trade union delegation on 6 March to discuss their recent visit to Colombia and hear their concerns about human rights. He also discussed the issue with the Colombian Foreign Minister in the fringes of the EU/Latin America and the Caribbean summit on 12 May. In February we also funded a working visit to the UK by eight senior Colombian trade unionists to demonstrate our support to civil society in Colombia and to the important role it has to play in helping find solutions to Colombia's many problems.

EU Satellite Centre

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the Government's requests for surveillance information from the European Union Satellite Centre in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: In the last five years the UK has requested the European Union Satellite Centre to provide analysis of earth imagery for five national tasks, all in 2003. Three of these related to arms control tasking in Asia and the Middle East, and two concerned humanitarian and rescue tasking in Africa. These taskings took place before the costs of such national requests became recoverable from the member state. These national taskings should be distinguished from UK proposals for the EU to task the Satellite Centre in support of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. These proposals comprised five arms control tasks across the Middle East and Asia, one imagery analysis request in the Middle East and geospatial information in preparation for the G8 meeting in Gleneagles.

EU Satellite Centre

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of the surveillance information requested from the European Union Satellite Centre in respect of the G8 summit at Gleneagles was.

Geoff Hoon: The European Union Satellite Centre has estimated the costs of information for the G8 summit at Gleneagles, including data acquisition and analysis time, at €40,000. This was paid from the Satellite Centre's annual budget, to which member states contribute.

EU Satellite Centre

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what satellite imaging services from the European Union Satellite Centre are being used by the Government.

Geoff Hoon: The European Union Satellite Centre produces a variety of products including two-dimensional analysis of satellite imagery and three-dimensional computer models created through the combination of information from maps and earth imagery. All products requested by the European Union from the Satellite Centre in support of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy are copied to the UK and all other member states, These are stored by the UK and contribute to the pool of information available to aid decision making on subjects including humanitarian and disaster response, arms control, border monitoring and environmental issues.

EU Satellite Centre

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much is allocated to  (a) the running costs of and  (b) buying information from the European Union Satellite Centre.

Geoff Hoon: The UK's contribution to the European Union Satellite Centre is approximately 17 per cent. of the annual running costs. This year the UK contribution will be €1.8 million. This annual funding covers the costs of tasks delegated to the Satellite Centre by unanimous EU agreement. The UK receives copies of the information provided in response to these tasks at no additional cost. It has not made any national requests since 2004, when charging for additional information requests for national use was introduced.

General Affairs and External Relations Council

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the outcome of the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 15 May.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I attended the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) on 15 May. The council discussed preparations for the June European council and a range of foreign policy issues, including the latest developments in the Western Balkans, Nepal, Africa, Iran, the Middle East Peace Process and Iraq. Defence Ministers met separately to discuss the European Defence Agency, Capabilities and EU Force for the Democratic Republic for Congo. My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary represented the UK. In joint session Foreign and Defence Ministers discussed emergency and crisis response, civil-military co-operation and security sector reform in the Western Balkans.
	For a fuller read out of discussions, I refer the hon. Member to the post-GAERC written ministerial statement, which will be issued shortly.

Iran

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her policy is on possible military action against Iran; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said on 8 May, 'no-one has the intention to take military action' against Iran. The international community is determined that Iran should comply with the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors and the Security Council. To that end, we are all pursuing a diplomatic process and we are working hard to make sure it succeeds.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate has been made of the rate of unemployment in  (a) Al Basrah,  (b) Al Muthanna,  (c) Dhi Qar and  (d) Maysan provinces in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	The Iraqi Central Office for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT) is responsible for producing official statistics on the unemployment rate and has conducted three Labour Force Surveys since 2003. The latest November 2005 survey, reports an unemployment rate of 18 per cent. across Iraq (not including the Kurdish Regional Government or Al Anbar province). Unemployment rates for individual provinces are not published by COSIT or any other organisation.
	It is important to note that there has been considerable debate over Iraqi employment statistics, and widely differing unemployment rates have been reported. One report from the Brookings Institution (Iraq Index, April 2006) at http://www.brookings.edu/iraqindex estimates the current unemployment rate to be between 25 and 40 per cent. The use of different definitions of unemployment may account for some of this variation. For example, Iraqi data has traditionally counted only those working 15 hours or more per week as "employed", whereas the International Labour Organisation (ILO) considers anyone working 1 hour or more per week to be employed.

Jamaica

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the authorities in Jamaica on  (a) tackling homophobia and  (b) police attitudes to and treatment of gay people.

Geoff Hoon: Our position is well-known to the Jamaican authorities.
	During his visit to Jamaica on 25 April, the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Thomas), made the case for repeal of legislation on buggery and spoke out against the use of homophobic lyrics in popular music. There has been no recent discussion on police attitudes to homosexuality.

Minister for Europe

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at which meetings of the Council of the European Union the United Kingdom will be represented by the Minister for Europe.

Geoff Hoon: Together with my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, I will routinely represent the UK at meetings of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of the European Union.

Pakistan

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the strength of the Taliban in Waziristan, Pakistan.

Kim Howells: We share President Musharraf's concern about the Talibanisation of Waziristan. The Pakistani Taliban have at various times taken control of parts of Waziristan, including the town of Miramshah, but not for extended periods. The Government of Pakistan currently has over 80,000 troops deployed in the region, who are engaged in almost daily skirmishes with al-Qaeda and Taliban elements. We take the threat posed by the Taliban very seriously and continue to work closely with the Government of Pakistan to try to contain it. This is important not just for stability in Waziristan, but also to help reduce the risk to British forces deployed in Southern Afghanistan. The exact strength of the Pakistani Taliban is difficult to assess.

Palestinian Authority

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2006,  Official Report, columns. 522-3W, on the Palestinian Authority, if she will make a statement on the discussions regarding the development of a mechanism for the payment of aid to the Palestinian Authority, which took place at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 15 May.

Kim Howells: At the 15 May General Affairs and External Relations Council, the EU accepted the task from the Quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia) to develop a temporary international mechanism to direct and supervise delivery of assistance to the Palestinian people. We believe the mechanism should be set up as a matter of urgency. The European Commission will consult international financial institutions, and key partners and donors, to establish the mechanism as soon as possible. The UK has played a leading role in establishing the mechanism and will continue to offer assistance.

Renditions

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 55W, on rendition, since what date the Government have expected a state to seek permission for each individual rendition flight through UK airspace and UK air bases, including overseas territories.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 88W, and to my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary's (Mr. Straw) written ministerial statement of 20 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 37-38WS. The expectation that a State will seek permission reflects an aspect of the principle of State sovereignty over territory, which is a longstanding principle of international law. The findings of the review of the Government's files back to 1997, which were summarised in the then Foreign Secretary's written ministerial statement, demonstrate that this has been a consistent requirement; that it has been made clear to the United States authorities; and that they have sought such permission.

Sri Lanka

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of recent increased violence in Sri Lanka; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We are deeply concerned at the recent upturn in violence in Sri Lanka, notably the suicide bombing of the army headquarters in Colombo on25 April and the attack at sea on a troop-carrying vessel on 11 May. These Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) attacks are a clear violation of the Cease-fire Agreement, break the commitment they made at talks in Geneva in February, and threaten prospects for peace. There is no excuse for terrorism. The LTTE is a proscribed organisation in Britain and is likely also to be listed by the EU as a terrorist organisation.
	But the background to the violence in Sri Lanka is complex and we are also very concerned by reports of killings of civilians and the continued atrocities committed by armed groups. It is essential that the Government of Sri Lanka also live up to its responsibilities in preventing such groups from operating.
	We continue to believe that dialogue is the only way to achieve a negotiated settlement to the internal conflict in Sri Lanka. Violence cannot solve internal differences nor bring sustainable peace. All sides need to exercise restraint and act in a constructive and patient way. We fully support the Norwegian facilitated peace talks and will continue to work for a settlement that takes full account of the legitimate demands of all communities within a democratic and stable Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the situation in Sri Lanka.

Kim Howells: We are concerned at the upturn in violence in Sri Lanka. Recent Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attacks on army headquarters and a troop carrying vessel are a serious violation of the Ceasefire Agreement and threaten prospects for peace. At the same time, we are concerned by killings of civilians and atrocities committed by armed groups. We look to the Government of Sri Lanka to prevent such groups from operating and to bring those responsible to justice. We fully support the Norwegian facilitated peace process and will work towards a settlement that takes full account of the legitimate concerns of all communities in Sri Lanka.

Trinidad and Tobago

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the authorities in Trinidad and Tobago on investigating and prosecuting unlawful police killings.

Geoff Hoon: The law and order situation in Trinidad and Tobago has been deteriorating for some time and the Government acknowledge that the police response has been inadequate in various respects. Our concerns about both the human rights aspects and also the safety of UK citizens, especially in Tobago, are well known to the authorities. Most recently my noble and learned Friend the Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, discussed Criminal and Judicial reform with Prime Minister Patrick Manning and senior ministers in Port of Spain on 3 May. These and other problems will continue to feature in our ongoing security dialogue with the leadership and security agencies in Trinidad and Tobago.

Turkey

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in negotiations with the Turkish Government in developing a system of documentation which would permit people in possession of UK-issued temporary travel documents to travel from Turkey to the UK.

Geoff Hoon: We are yet to identify a long term solution to the problem of suitable documentation which would permit the travel of the small number of individuals in Turkey who would otherwise be granted entry to the UK but have no passport on which to travel. We continue to engage with the Turkish authorities on individual cases.

Venezuela

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on UK-Venezuelan affairs.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the following comments made by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, (Dr. Howells) in the House on 8 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 307-311WH:
	"The relationship between the United Kingdom and Venezuela is an active one. We work effectively together in several fields, including crime, counter-narcotics and energy. We have an important commercial relationship... It is the third biggest market for the UK in Latin America. ... our policy remains to seek constructive engagement with Venezuela. We have much to gain from working together".

NORTHERN IRELAND

Absenteeism

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the absenteeism rates were for each of the workforces of each of Northern Ireland's district councils in each of the last three years.

David Cairns: The information on absenteeism rates within district councils is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the Local Government Auditor, under the provisions in Article 26 of the Local Government (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 is in the process of collecting such information for 2005-06. This information will be published and I will let you have a copy in due course.

Agricultural Weather Aid Scheme

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been  (a) claimed and  (b) paid out under the agricultural weather aid scheme.

David Cairns: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Amount claimed—£4.6 million.
	 (b) Amount paid out—£4,065,528.53

Agricultural Weather Aid Scheme

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications have been  (a) received and  (b) accepted in relation to the agricultural weather aid scheme.

David Cairns: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Number of applications received—26,354
	 (b) Number accepted—26,059

Classroom Assistants

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what money has been allocated for the evaluation of classroom assistants in Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle: My Department has made available £25.7 million in respect of the costs of the job evaluation exercise, including arrears, for the period to the end of the 2005-06 financial year. This money is ring fenced for those costs once a settlement has been reached between the employers and those representing classroom assistants, and cannot be used for any other purpose. Further funding will be made available in respect of ongoing costs after 2005-06.

Dentistry

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dentists are accepting new NHS patients in each constituency in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: A dentist may practice in more than one dental surgery within a constituency or in more than one constituency. The following table shows the number of actual dental practitioners who were recently registering patients for NHS treatment within each constituency.
	
		
			  Number of dentists( 1)  providing health service dentistry by constituency who accepted new health service patients in March and April 2006 
			  Constituency  Number 
			 Belfast East 40 
			 Belfast North 52 
			 Belfast South 51 
			 Belfast West 36 
			 East Antrim 29 
			 East Londonderry 33 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 51 
			 Foyle 36 
			 Lagan Valley 35 
			 Mid Ulster 28 
			 Newry and Armagh 52 
			 North Antrim 45 
			 North Down 42 
			 South Antrim 37 
			 South Down 33 
			 Strangford 34 
			 Upper Bann 47 
			 West Tyrone 33 
			 (1) Excludes vocational dental practitioners and assistants.   Notes:  1. Should a dentist work in more than one practice within a constituency then they have only been counted once within that constituency but if they work across constituencies then they have also been counted once in each relevant constituency.  2. Figures will not include any dentists who may still be accepting patients but who were not approached for a registration during the two-month analysis period.

Departmental Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what credit cards are provided for senior civil servants by  (a) each department in Northern Ireland and  (b) his Department.

David Hanson: No credit cards are issued to senior civil servants in Northern Ireland departments or the Northern Ireland Office.

Departmental Staff (Vetting)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions vetting checks on foreign nationals working in each department in Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Office, have revealed a criminal record in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Prior to 1 August 2005 national security vetting information kept by the security vetting unit in the Northern Ireland Office in respect of the Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office was not recorded in a manner that would allow this question to be answered. However, a check of information dating from 1 August 2005 has not revealed any foreign national working in a Northern Ireland Department or the Northern Ireland Office and subject to national security vetting to have a criminal record.

District Police Partnerships

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average attendance was at public meetings held under the auspices of District Police Partnerships in Northern Ireland during 2005.

Paul Goggins: I have been advised by the Northern Ireland Policing Board that the records of the numbers of members of the public attending District Policing Partnership meetings in public are held directly by each District Policing Partnership.

District Police Partnerships

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the 10  (a) most improved and  (b) least improved district policing partnership areas in relation to incidents of reported burglaries in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is available on the PSNI website at: www.psni.police.uk

Footballers (Intimidation)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the police in Londonderry have reached any conclusions regarding their investigations into allegations that two footballers were intimidated during April into leaving the city.

Paul Goggins: PSNI is investigating the allegations of intimidation. However, the two men concerned have returned to Belgium and despite the attempts of local police, it has proved difficult to contact them.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made, in terms of  (a) headcount reductions and  (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

Peter Hain: Progress was recently reported in the 2005-06 departmental report which was published on the 11 May 2006.

Maze Prison

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines are in place in respect of  (a) the use of,  (b) access to and  (c) press coverage of the former HMP Maze buildings and property.

David Hanson: I have recently reviewed the procedure on access to the Maze/Long Kesh site and have placed a copy of the policy in the Libraries of both Houses.

Maze Prison

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what permissions were sought by Sinn Fein in respect of its use of HMP Maze land for a commemoration of the death of Bobby Sands;
	(2)  what discussions  (a) he and  (b) his officials have had with Sinn Fein on the use of land at HMP Maze for a commemoration of the death of Bobby Sands.

David Hanson: Following representation made on behalf of the families of ex-prisoners my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for NI agreed to allow each of the families of the hunger strikers who died a private visit to pay their respects on the anniversary of the death of their family member. Appropriate arrangements were made with officials. In relation to the anniversary of the death of Bobby Sands, family members did not attend. A number of former prisoners accompanied by two Sinn Fein MPs asked at official level for, and were granted, a brief private visit to the former prison hospital. I have issued revised guidance on future such visits.

Ministerial Protection

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of close protection from the armed forces for Northern Ireland Ministers in each of the last eight years.

Paul Goggins: The armed forces do not provide close protection for Ministers. Close protection for Ministers is provided by PSNI.

MOT

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicles which were tested at Northern Ireland MOT test centres failed their initial test in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Cairns: The following table details all vehicles that failed their initial test in the last two years. Figures are not available prior to 2004-05.
	
		
			  Centre  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Armagh 3,882 5,399 
			 Ballymena 9,285 9,194 
			 Belfast 9,909 15,392 
			 Coleraine 8,134 10,510 
			 Cookstown 9,903 12,899 
			 Craigavon 7,120 8,975 
			 Downpatrick 7,199 6,521 
			 Enniskillen 4,740 6,372 
			 Larne 3,117 4,315 
			 Lisburn 6,013 8,499 
			 Londonderry 8,839 13,153 
			 Mallusk 5,983 9,171 
			 Newry 5,982 10,442 
			 Newtownards 11,862 15,661 
			 Omagh 5,601 7,545 
			 Total 107,569 144,048

Newtonabbey

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons 42 Circular Road, Jordanstown, Newtonabbey was not included as an area of townscape character.

David Cairns: An objection to the non-inclusion of 42 Circular Road, Jordanstown within an area of townscape character has been submitted to the draft Belfast metropolitan area plan. As the objection will properly be addressed at the forthcoming public inquiry, it would not be appropriate to comment on the issue at this time.

Operating and Financial Review

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the implementation of the operating and financial review in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The Accounting Standards Board's Reporting Statement "Operational and Financial Review" (OFR) is designed as a formulation and development of best practice; it is intended to have persuasive rather than mandatory force. The statement has been written with quoted companies in mind and recommends that company directors prepare an OFR, but is also applicable to any other entities that purport to prepare an OFR. This applies to Northern Ireland as in Great Britain.
	For Northern Ireland Government, accounts for 2005-06 onwards prepared by departments and other entities falling within the scope of the Government Financial Reporting Manual will prepare a Management Commentary, the content of which is based upon the recommendations of the Reporting Statement Operational and Financial Review.

Police

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total amount of police overtime was in Northern Ireland in each district command unit in each of the last three years, broken down by rank; and what the cost was in each year.

Paul Goggins: The appropriate figures for police overtime from 2003 to 2006 are included in the following tables. Only a top-level summary is available for 2003-04 as the detailed analysis figures are not available. The 2003-04 figures therefore include both DCU and Department overtime.
	
		
			  Police overtime cost 2003-04 
			   Total (£) 
			 Regular 42,618,000 
			 Full time reserve 9,473,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Police overtime cost by DCU and rank 2004-05 
			  £ 
			  DCU  Constable  Sergeant  Full time reserve constable  Total 
			 Antrim 496,350.82 282,605.50 192,608.64 971,564.96 
			 Ards 703,050.69 183,053.32 157,651.96 1,043,755.97 
			 Armagh 624,645.76 219,312.79 301,410.02 1,145,368.57 
			 Banbridge 345,405.46 147,393.81 94,010.67 586,809.94 
			 Ballymena 611,730.84 166,550.09 104,904.10 883,185.03 
			 Ballymoney 270,130.26 89,956.74 48,935.44 409,022.44 
			 Belfast East 923,438.55 325,264.55 548,835.12 1,797,538.22 
			 Belfast North 1,441,980.01 452,072.37 372,119.20 2,266,171.58 
			 Belfast South 1,496,267.95 397,660.73 387,951.70 2,281,880.38 
			 Belfast West 1,101,705.17 303,180.92 782,120.78 2,187,006.87 
			 Carrickfergus 345,047.01 106,265.86 182,611.68 633,924.55 
			 Castlereagh 586,565.44 151,968.10 261,851.05 1,000,384.59 
			 Coleraine 564,660.96 183,496.57 143,544.11 891,701.64 
			 Cookstown 357,740.30 156,296.01 107,254.46 621,290.77 
			 Craigavon 870,299.47 204,992.55 250,844.11 1,326,136.13 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 667,701.92 182,916.16 242,227.19 1,092,845.27 
			 Down 743,871.95 227,429.98 299,981.22 1,271,283.15 
			 Fermanagh 790,786.91 237,246.98 281,984.64 1,310,018.53 
			 Foyle 1,085,496.71 293,304.82 376,229.15 1,755,030.68 
			 Lame 352,806.16 74,151.74 89,462.53 516,420.43 
			 Limavady 331,423.16 100,204.66 103,064.22 534,692.04 
			 Lisburn 1,006,567.86 300,122.92 378,276.03 1,684,966.81 
			 Magherafelt 424,824.02 110,208.97 225,908.62 760,941.61 
			 Moyle 111,963.29 40,368.95 58,753.72 211,085.96 
			 Newry and Mourne 1,303,308.02 355,095.41 410,766.60 2,069,170.03 
			 Newtownabbey 668,282.09 178,558.55 85,060.46 931,901.10 
			 North Down 691,595.04 238,790.93 223,746.56 1,154,132.53 
			 Omagh 493,854.25 189,893.09 113,723.40 797,470.74 
			 Strabane 490,005.96 220,323.52 188,714.05 899,043.53 
			 Total 19,901,506.03 6,118,686.59 7,014,551.43 33,034,744.05 
		
	
	
		
			  Police overtime by DCU and rank 2005-06 
			  £ 
			  DCU  Constable  Sergeant  Full time reserve constable  Total 
			 Antrim 567,013.65 259,621.21 169,974.42 996,609.28 
			 Ards 740,627.28 195,023.00 146,981.22 1,082,631.50 
			 Armagh 641,581.52 224,404.79 231,924.38 1,097,910.69 
			 Banbridge 391,603.89 146,658.43 62,721.51 600,983.83 
			 Ballymena 649,024.82 185,054.70 78,638.44 912,717.96 
			 Ballymoney 273,740.89 77,715.82 33,349.99 384,806.70 
			 Belfast East 1,124,993.62 339,810.43 431,231.31 1,896,035.36 
			 Belfast North 1,957,455.88 581,926.96 328,970.82 2,868,353.66 
			 Belfast South 1,637,096.97 382,818.43 261,282.63 2,281,198.03 
			 Belfast West 1,359,888.80 391,729.07 638,180.60 2,389,798.47 
			 Carrickfergus 363,682.19 139,518.96 123,907.92 627,109.07 
			 Castlereagh 636,694.85 190,592.63 237,630.53 1,064,918.01 
			 Coleraine 635,538.13 199,850.69 85,180.19 920,569.01 
			 Cookstown 359,783.62 174,885.65 52,676.20 587,345.47 
			 Craigavon 951,657.64 271,689.52 148,188.72 1,371,535.88 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 684,387.53 203,152.99 184,391.08 1,071,931.60 
			 Down 765,819.07 213,941.71 205,251.66 1,185,012.44 
			 Fermanagh 761,616.20 255,979.13 271,448.90 1,289,044.23 
			 Foyle 1,102,507.31 306,798.04 265,048.60 1,674,353.95 
			 Lame 336,182.79 81,394.68 51,461.63 469,039.10 
			 Limavady 346,334.65 96,155.17 76,158.36 518,648.18 
			 Lisburn 1,218,434.25 250,404.34 257,450.68 1,726,289.27 
			 Magherafelt 456,360.90 103,984.16 129,586.82 689,931.88 
			 Moyle 131,869.79 39,049.29 28,877,87 199,796.95 
			 Newry and Mourne 1,322,908.72 288,228.99 369,335.46 1,980,473.17 
			 Newtownabbey 728,473.00 150,293.73 82,297.80 961,064.53 
			 North Down 772,269.64 235,253.37 201,334.30 1,208,857.31 
			 Omagh 507,765.79 219,982.25 76,381.16 804,129.20 
			 Strabane 507,167.71 238,770.78 133,796.91 879,735.40 
			 Total 21,932,481.10 6,444,688.92 5,363,660.11 33,740,830.13

Police

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officers from  (a) other UK and  (b) foreign police services are on secondment to the Police Service Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: There are currently 19 personnel seconded into the PSNI (including secondments into the Historical Enquiry Team) from other UK forces. There are no officers on secondment from foreign police services.

Police

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many temporary advances of pay are outstanding in the Police Service Northern Ireland; and what the total cost is of those advances.

Paul Goggins: The PSNI have confirmed that they currently have no outstanding temporary advances of pay.

Road Fatalities

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many road accidents in Northern Ireland which resulted in fatalities were a direct result of  (a) speeding and  (b) driving under the influence of (i) drink and (ii) drugs over the last three years, broken down by parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The statistics for road accidents resulting in fatalities are provided in the following tables. This information is not recorded by parliamentary constituency but rather by district command unit. Table B provides overall figures for individuals driving under the influence of drink or drugs as it is not possible to separate these.
	
		
			  (a) Road accidents resulting in fatalities which were a direct result of excessive speed 
			  District command unit  2003  2004  2005  Total 
			 Antrim 2 1 1 4 
			 Ards 1 0 0 1 
			 Armagh 3 1 2 6 
			 Banbridge 2 0 0 2 
			 East Belfast 0 0 0 0 
			 North Belfast 0 1 0 1 
			 South Belfast 0 0 2 2 
			 West Belfast 1 1 1 3 
			 Ballymena 3 1 0 4 
			 Ballymoney 0 1 0 1 
			 Carrickfergus 1 0 0 1 
			 Coleraine 2 0 1 3 
			 Cookstown 0 0 1 1 
			 Craigavon 0 0 0 0 
			 Castlereagh 0 1 0 1 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 0 0 0 0 
			 Down 1 2 1 4 
			 Fermanagh 1 0 2 3 
			 Foyle 0 1 2 3 
			 Lame 0 0 1 1 
			 Limavady 0 1 0 1 
			 Lisburn 3 2 0 5 
			 Magherafelt 0 2 2 4 
			 Moyle 1 1 0 2 
			 Newtownabbey 0 0 1 1 
			 North Down 2 0 0 2 
			 Newry and Mourne 2 6 3 11 
			 Omagh 3 1 1 5 
			 Strabane 1 0 0 1 
			 Total 29 23 21 73 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Road accidents resulting in fatalities which were a direct result of driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs 
			  District command unit  2003  2004  2005  Total 
			 Antrim 2 0 0 2 
			 Ards 2 1 1 4 
			 Armagh 0 1 0 1 
			 Banbridge 2 1 0 3 
			 East Belfast 0 0 0 0 
			 North Belfast 1 1 0 2 
			 South Belfast 1 0 0 1 
			 West Belfast 2 0 0 2 
			 Ballymena 1 0 1 2 
			 Ballymoney 0 0 2 2 
			 Carrickfergus 0 0 0 0 
			 Coleraine 0 2 1 3 
			 Cookstown 0 0 1 1 
			 Craigavon 1 0 0 1 
			 Castlereagh 0 0 1 1 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 2 2 1 5 
			 Down 1 0 1 2 
			 Fermanagh 0 4 2 6 
			 Foyle 0 2 1 3 
			 Larne 1 2 0 3 
			 Limavady 2 1 1 4 
			 Lisburn 3 0 2 5 
			 Magherafelt 2 0 2 4 
			 Moyle 0 0 0 0 
			 Newtownabbey 0 1 1 2 
			 North Down 1 0 1 2 
			 Newry and Mourne 5 5 1 11 
			 Omagh 0 1 2 3 
			 Strabane 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 29 24 22 75

Rural Economy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps Invest Northern Ireland plans to take to promote the rural economy in East Londonderry constituency.

Maria Eagle: In addition to delivery of Invest NI's full suite of programmes and services, Invest NI will continue to work closely with those stakeholders actively involved in developing rural business in the East Londonderry constituency. These include local councils and LEADER groups, for example, COLLAGE in Coleraine and Roe Valley in Limavady. For the year 2006-07 a series of workshops have been planned to help stimulate entrepreneur ship, innovation and exports in new and existing businesses. The first of these has been arranged for October 2006 on the topic of Advanced Tendering.

School Pupils

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many primary school pupils there were in each of the education and library boards in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is as follows:
	
		
			  Primary school pupils by education and library board area 2001-02 to 2005-06 
			   Education and library board area 
			   Belfast  Western  North Eastern  South Eastern  Southern  Northern Ireland total 
			 2001-02 29,410 32,880 38,903 37,618 40,228 179,039 
			 2002-03 28,339 32,652 38,873 37,341 39,597 176,802 
			 2003-04 27,290 32,127 38,593 36,955 39,202 174,167 
			 2004-05 26,506 31,689 38,465 36,527 38,811 171,998 
			 2005-06 25,724 31,154 38,292 36,241 38,535 169,946 
			  Note:  1. Figures include children in nursery units, reception, and year 1 to year 7 classes.

School Pupils

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many secondary school pupils there were in each of the education and library boards for each of the past five years.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is as follows:
	
		
			  Post primary school pupils by education and library board area 2001-02 to 2005-06 
			  School type  Belfast  Western  North Eastern  South Eastern  Southern  Northern Ireland total 
			  2001-02   
			 Non grammar 15,927 17,592 20,042 16,429 22,770 92,760 
			 Grammar 16,156 11,309 13,690 10,314 11,274 62,743 
			 All post primary 32,083 28,901 33,732 26,743 34,044 155,503 
			
			  2002-03   
			 Non grammar 15,935 17,386 20,045 16,528 22,751 92,645 
			 Grammar 16,186 11,407 13,777 10,379 11,353 63,102 
			 All post primary 32,121 28,793 33,822 26,907 34,104 155,747 
			
			  2003-04   
			 Non grammar 15,801 17,002 19,918 16,572 22,754 92,047 
			 Grammar 16,265 11,586 13,742 10,374 11,380 63,347 
			 All post primary 32,066 28,588 33,660 26,946 34,134 155,394 
			
			  2004-05   
			 Non grammar 15,334 16,319 19,717 16,298 22,417 90,085 
			 Grammar 16,269 11,728 13,684 10,375 11,308 63,364 
			 All post primary 31,603 28,047 33,401 26,673 33,725 153,449 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Non grammar 14,907 16,568 19,439 16,106 22,401 89,421 
			 Grammar 16,234 11,025 13,553 10,378 11,229 62,419 
			 All post primary 31,141 27,593 32,992 26,484 33,630 151,840

Traffic Wardens

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many traffic wardens were employed in Northern Ireland in January  (a) 2001 and  (b) 2006.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Date  Number of traffic wardens employed 
			 As at 8 May 2001(1) 146 
			 As at 4 January 2006 97 
			 (1 )Earliest date for which information is available

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Staff

David Gauke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many full-time equivalent staff will be employed to support his Cabinet work following the announcement of 5 May of changes to his responsibilities.

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many civil servants will be assigned to work for him in his new role.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff will be employed in his Private Office in his new role.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Reading, East (Mr. Wilson) in the House on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 979.

Equality

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has  (a) had and  (b) plans to have with the Minister for Women and Equality on implementing the Government's equality agenda in connection with the development of Government policy.

John Prescott: I have regular discussions with all my ministerial colleagues covering all areas of Government policy.

Ministerial Responsibilities

Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what opportunities he expects there to be for hon. Members to hold him to account on the floor of the House.

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements are being made for him to answer oral questions on the floor of the House in relation to his new responsibilities.

John Prescott: holding answers 11 May 2006
	I shall continue to be accountable to the House in the usual way, answering both written and oral questions.

Ministerial Responsibilities

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements are in place to ensure that the funds allocated for his official government duties are used solely for that purpose.

John Prescott: The Ministerial Code makes clear that Ministers must not use Government resources for party political purposes.

Ministerial Responsibilities

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list his official duties.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 985W.

Ministerial Responsibilities

James Clappison: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list his ministerial responsibilities.

David Gauke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his areas of responsibility are for the purposes of answering Parliamentary questions following the announcement of 5 May of changes to his responsibilities.

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what new areas of ministerial responsibility he has taken on since 4 May.

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibility he has for implementing the Government's equality agenda in his new role.

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Cabinet committees he will be chairing.

Mark Harper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Cabinet committees he will chair; and what the remit is of each committee.

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities he will have relating to international development in respect of his role to oversee the efficient development of Government policy; and if he will make a statement.

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Cabinet committees he has been asked to chair.

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities he will have relating to the work of the Department for Communities and Local Government in his role in overseeing the efficient development of Government policy; and if he will make a statement.

James Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list his duties and responsibilities.

David Mundell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what Ministerial responsibilities he has in respect of Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 985W.

Ministerial Responsibilities

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities he has relating to matters which fall within the competence of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs within his overall responsibility to oversee the efficient development of government policy; and if he will make a statement.

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities he will have relating to the Wales Office within his overall responsibility to oversee the efficient delivery of government policy.

William Hague: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibility he has for foreign and commonwealth affairs within his overall responsibility to oversee the efficient development of government policy.

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities he will have relating to the work of the Department for Constitutional Affairs in his role in overseeing the efficient development of government policy; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what duties he has in relation to Cabinet Office matters; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities he has in respect of Northern Ireland in relation to his role to oversee the efficient development of government policy; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list his new responsibilities.

Hugo Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities he has relating to matters which fall within the remit of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport within his overall responsibility to oversee the efficient development of government policy; and if he will make a statement.

John Prescott: holding answers 11 May 2006
	I refer the hon. Members to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 985W.

Ministerial Responsibilities

David Willetts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his responsibilities are for the efficient development of government policy on education and skills matters.

John Prescott: holding answer 12 May 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 985W.

Ministerial Office Staff

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many ministerial special advisers he plans to retain in his new role; and at what cost to the public purse.

Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he will retain his private office staff on ceasing responsibility for his former functions.

David Lidington: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many civil servants report to him; and what grade each is.

John Prescott: holding answers 11 May 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Reading, East (Mr. Wilson) in the House on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 979.